Jacobs' offense sputters in loss
When Jai Bradford rambled 41 yards for a touchdown with only 1:52 elapsed in the game it looked like Jacobs could have a big night offensively.
It never happened. The Golden Eagles' offense sputtered the rest of the night.
Jacobs didn't manage a score during the final 46 minutes of play as Crystal Lake Central rallied for a 14-6 win over the Golden Eagles in a Fox Valley Conference crossover game at Central's Owen Metcalfe Field Friday night. The game was contested in a steady rain.
"It seemed like we controlled the ball early, but we couldn't sustain it for the entire game," said Jacobs coach Dean Schlueter. "We struggled after the first drive. We missed some assignments, but give Central credit. They really smacked us hard."
After allowing Jacobs 72 yards on the first drive, the Central defense basically stymied the Golden Eagle offense. Jacobs could only come up with 84 yards the rest of the game with 4 first downs.
Jacobs (1-2) had a golden opportunity to score late in the third quarter. The Golden Eagles marched to the Central 8. But, on fourth-and-goal, Alec Starr's pass was incomplete in the end zone and the Tigers took over on downs.
"This was a hard-fought game in extreme weather conditions," said Central coach Jon McLaughlin. "They really buckled down when they had to. It took our defense a series or 2 to initially adjust to Jacobs' speed."
Crystal Lake Central (3-0) grabbed the lead when Connor Buxton found tight end Taylor Kendrick open in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown with 6:22 left before halftime. The Tigers opted to go for 2 points and converted when Will Kindall reached the end zone on a run to give Central a 8-6 lead. The Tigers held that 2-point advantage at intermission.
Most of the second half was a defensive tussle. Central finally put the game away when Adam Smyth reached paydirt from 6 yards out with 5:58 left.
Adam Dybeck led Jacobs in rushing with 58 yards on 11 carries.
The host Tigers rushed for 220 yards on 51 carries. Anthony Niemo paced Central with 126 yards on 21 carries. Smyth ran 22 times for 77 yards and a score.
"We need to play better, but I am very pleased with the effort," said Schlueter.
"The kids are really playing hard and playing with a lot of intensity."
CL South 35, Johnsburg 19: Colin Masterson ran for 254 yards and 4 touchdowns as the Gators (2-1) prevailed in this Fox Valley Conference crossover game in Johnsburg.