Strong start fuels Meyer, Elk Grove

In this Mid-Suburban League football crossover, the Hoffman Estates Hawks and Elk Grove Grenadiers were trying to bounce back from losses.

The Grenadiers (2-1) stood victorious in commanding 48-7 fashion Friday night. They led 27-0 after a quarter and took advantage of 5 first-half turnovers by the Hawks (0-3).

Elk Grove junior quarterback Nick Meyer (5-for-8 passing, 60 yards, 2 touchdowns; 6 carries for 42 yards and 3 touchdowns) and junior running back Mike Wary (18 carries, 72 yards; 3 catches, 50 yards, 2 touchdowns) carried the bulk of the offense. Meyer also scored on the defensive side at safety as he returned an interception 33 yards and single-handedly scored all 4 first-quarter touchdowns.

"We had great success calling the option," said Meyer, "Our line got a huge push up front, so the option was there."

On the defensive side, the Grenadiers didn't allow the Hawks past midfield until the second half. The secondary had 2 interceptions, while the defensive front and special teams forced 4 fumbles and recovered three.

The Grenadiers had big defensive performances from senior linebackers Brett Lesniak and Kyle Pfister.

"Coming in we wanted to go back to basics in the run game," said Grenadiers' head coach Brian Doll, "We were very focused out there. I told the kids in practice that if you play all four quarters you'd have a strong game. I couldn't stress that enough, and it transferred over tonight."

By the end of the first half the score was 41-0 and the second half was played with a running clock.

In the end of the third quarter, the Hawks finally got on the board after a 63-yard run by senior quarterback Bryan Proskey. Junior running back Matt Bending had a touchdown run for Elk Grove.

"We can't beat anybody if you make that many mistakes," said Hawks assistant coach Joe Lewandowski. "We can't blame one group. We are confident in our system. We have to go back to square one and keep working."