Kulick takes challenge and delivers for BG

J.P. Kulick loves a challenge.

Does he ever. The Buffalo Grove quarterback responded to Hersey's challenge Friday night. As the upstart Huskies put "8 in the box" to shut down BG's potent running game, they left Kulick with single coverage on his outside receivers.

"Coach (Jim Farrell) says, 'Take what they give you,' " said the 5-foot-10, 170-pound senior. He took that and more, hitting 21-of-34 passes for 314 yards in leading BG to a 27-14 Mid-Suburban East victory that leveled its overall record (3-3) and kept them alive for a playoff berth (1-1 in the division).

"He had a good command of the routes tonight," Farrell said. "He was lighting it up. I was happy for him."

So were his receivers. Running back Josh Hampton, thrust into the role of pass receiver, caught 2 for 95 yards. That included outmaneuvering a defender late in the first half and turning a long toss into an 80-yard TD and giving BG the momentum going into intermission.

"Josh is an explosive player," said Farrell after finding ways to get him unleashed. "We're finding our strength with our offensive line pass blocking."

And as far as Hersey playing eight in the box, "Josh is somebody who demands that kind of respect," Farrell added, after BG rushed for just 11 yards against a defense that pretty much stayed in that alignment all evening.

Kulick, meanwhile, consistently found Andrew Hemmer, Matt Stadler, Mike Cornely and Kevin Mulligan open for receptions and that set up two short Hampton rushing TDs in the third quarter as BG took command for good.

"They stepped up," Kulick said of his receivers.

Hersey (1-5, 1-1) stepped up too, shutting down BG's running game and getting its usual dynamic performances from quarterback Steve Nelson (145 yards in total offense) and running back Chris Polinski (19 carries, 98 yards). Polinski's 18-yard scamper was the first TD of the game and gave a Hersey a lead that stood up until the 4:56 mark of the third quarter.

Nelson found Tony O'Donnell behind everyone for a 49-yard TD late in the third quarter to keep it close, but BG's defense stood up from there. Defensive ends Alan Baxter and John Pischak pressured Nelson as Hersey tried to rally.

But even after two rough games against Barrington and Prospect, "I still love our defense," said Farrell. "John Pischak and Alan Baxter were just men tonight."

BG still has a lot of work to do, though, and Farrell knows it.

"We're a good football team that tends to be its own worst enemy," he said, part tongue-in-cheek, of mistakes that really hurt, including some costly penalties, a blocked punt, 2 missed extra points and a missed field goal.

In addition, it took BG a while to get untracked on its homecoming evening.

"That's always a big fear," he noted, of this week's festivities being a distraction.