Kissack, Salvatini lead D-C to victory
What a difference a half made for the Dundee-Crown running game Friday night at Grayslake North.
After struggling to a 12-9 halftime lead over the host Knights, the Chargers' ground attack dominated the second half en route to a 27-9 Fox Valley Conference crossover victory.
Grayslake North (0-3) took a quick 2-0 lead when Dundee-Crown quarterback Logan Kissack was called for intentional grounding in his own end zone 4:42 into the contest.
After the Knights' punter was called for having his knee down at his own 3-yard-line, Kissack scored the first of his 3 touchdowns on a 1-yard keeper for a 6-2 lead 45 seconds into the second quarter.
Grayslake North responded when quarterback Seth Foster hit Brandon Schroth with a short pass before Schroth picked up a block downfield and went 42 yards for the TD and a 9-6 lead after Matt Robinson's extra point.
The Chargers took a 12-9 lead 18 seconds before intermission when Kissack scored on a 2-yard keeper.
Two time-consuming scoring drives really carried D-C in the second half as Kissack rolled right, faked a pass, and scored on a 5-yard keeper. Then Kissack hit Tommy Newman for the 2-point conversion and a 20-9 lead with 5:07 left in the third quarter.
D-C's next possession also resulted in a TD as a 1-yard plunge by Newman capped a 10-play, 67-yard scoring drive. Willy Larsen's extra point made the score 27-9 with 9:04 to play.
Senior running back Ian Salvatini was a workhorse for the Chargers as he had 143 yards on 29 carries with 108 of those yards coming in the second half.
"I think the offensive line just came out with a lot of intensity in the second half and they got me some holes," Salvatini said. "I feel great with the win and as long as we come away with the W I'm happy."
The victory marked the first time D-C has been above .500 three games into a season since 2002 as well as its first winning streak since that same year.
Glenn Mizowek led the Knights with 50 yards on 14 carries while Kissack was 5-for-10 passing for 49 yards.
"We just lined up and ran the ball, we made some nice blocking adjustments, and we went after it," said Dundee-Crown coach Mike Davis. "Newman and (Mateuz) Drodz did a nice job of blocking at fullback and the defense kept us in the game in the first half."