Rous grouse? Not after this Grant win

If Homecoming was a December holiday, Kurt Rous might be famous for his "Bah Humbugs."

"I don't like Homecoming week," the Grant football coach said. "I wouldn't mind if we never had one. Too many distractions."

Well, Rous is right about that. There are a few distractions: floats, the dance, the king and queen and their court, the powder puff game, decorating the windows of local businesses and, of course, a little friendly TP-ing around town.

Some football coaches worry that the homecoming game itself, and the practices leading up to it, can seem like an afterthought amongst all the other fun activities at school.

Sensing their coach's concern, the Bulldogs vowed not to become another homecoming cliché as they prepared for Saturday's game against Antioch.

"We had one of the best weeks of practice we've ever had," Grant quarterback Justin Cokefair said. "Everyone was focused and serious."

"And everyone was really good all week," Grant running back Leo Minne added. "No one got in trouble. We didn't even have anyone go out and do the TP-ing."

Instead, the Bulldogs saved all of their energy for Antioch, and it's a good thing they did.

Grant outlasted Antioch in a game that wasn't decided until the final 30 seconds. The Bulldogs came up with so many clutch plays in the waning moments of their 27-21 North Suburban Prairie Division victory that Rous might now view homecoming the same way Scrooge saw Christmas the morning after his adventures with the three ghosts.

The win moves Grant to 2-3 overall (2-1 Prairie) and makes its 0-3 start a bit less handicapping.

"We actually had a great week of practice, even with all the homecoming stuff," Rous said. "Our kids were fired up. They wanted to prove to our fans and everyone in the conference that we're not the cellar dwellers anymore."

Grant took a 21-7 lead on a 2-yard Minne touchdown run with 6:38 left in the third quarter, but then watched Antioch running back Josh Guadarrama score two straight touchdowns (6 yards and 3 yards) to tie the score at 21 with 11:55 left in the fourth quarter.

Grant stalled on its next drive but the defense came through just three minutes later when Austin Thorsen intercepted a pass by Antioch quarterback Tom Sears with about four minutes left.

The Grant offense was just 35 yards away from regaining the lead and six plays later it did. Cokefair hit Cory Thomas with a 31-yard touchdown pass to put Grant ahead 27-21 with 1:33 left.

"I was so ecstatic when we got that (touchdown)," said Cokefair, who completed 4-of-8 passes for 64 yards. He also ran for 89 yards and a touchdown. "The line did a great job and we were able to get in the end zone."

But the work wasn't done yet for Grant.

The Sequoits got the ball back at their own 23-yard line and moved quickly down the field. There were still 40 seconds left on the clock when they earned a first down at midfield.

That's when Grant lineman David Gahgan came up with the defensive play of the game. He sacked Sears for a five-yard loss on second down.

Shaken, Sears then fumbled the ball on the next play and Grant linebacker Steven Niewiedzial iced the game when he fell on it.

"It felt really good (to get the sack). The crowd went crazy and everything," Gahgan said. "I got blocked but then I dove back inside and I got him. It was amazing, the best feeling in the world."

The Sequoits (3-2, 1-1 Prairie) aren't feeling too good about their missed opportunities, or their 5 turnovers. They lost three fumbles and Sears was intercepted twice.

"You can't beat anyone putting the ball on the ground," Antioch coach Brian Glashagel said. "You know, sometimes you just have those games where you know in warm-ups that you might be in trouble and that's what it was for us today."

Actually, the trouble might have started a few days before.

Glashagel said that sluggish practices earlier in the week set the tone for the Sequoits' lackluster play.

"We were a little flat today," said Guadarrama, who finished with a career-high 146 rushing yards on 19 carries. "It was like we were dogging it a bit sometimes at practice. We have to practice harder next week. We're not going to let this happen again."

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Photo Galleries</h2> <ul class="gallery"> <li><a href="http://football.dailyherald.com/story/?id=324472">Grant vs. Antioch </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>