Crystal Lake South defense stands tall vs. Jacobs
As soon as a Crystal Lake South defender gets his hands on a football, the team has a mental shift.
The defensive unit goes into offensive mode and looks to put as many points as possible on the board. Defensive back Alec Giles showcased his running back skills after picking off a pass from Jacobs' Jason Judson. The senior returned the interception 43 yards with 10 seconds left in the first quarter to give the host Gators a 35-0 advantage in the Fox Valley Conference Valley division matchup Friday night in Crystal Lake.
South poured on 15 more points in the second quarter and cruised to a 50-6 homecoming victory at Ken Bruhn Field.
"As soon as someone gets the ball, the defense goes into offensive mode," Gators' coach Jim Stuglis said.
South's defensive unit also recovered 3 fumbles in the first half on a soggy field while holding Jacobs (1-5, 0-2) to just 17 yards on 17 carries in the first half. South (6-0, 2-0) never allowed Jacobs into the game after Sam McCole forced Jacobs' Kyle Wright to fumble on the Golden Eagles' opening play.
JD Barchard scooped up the fumble on Jacobs' 14-yard line and quarterback Drew Ormseth found John Wagner on an 11-yard scoring pass 2 plays later.
Just 57 seconds earlier, Ormseth punched in a 12-yard rushing touchdown to open up South's scoring. Bolek Mikulec (10 rushes, 54 yards) added scoring runs of 20 and 1 yards, while Kameron Scott scored from the 3-yard line. South rushed 34 times for 226 yards in the first half.
"We never gave them a chance to come out and get anything going," said Scott, who finished with 69 yards on 9 carries.
South's Kevin Rogers recovered quarterback Nate Anderson's fumble with 2:20 left in the first half. Senior Brian Lachel pounded in an 8-yard touchdown with just 10 seconds left in the first half to extend South's lead to 50-0.
"They're a big physical team," Jacobs' coach Dean Schlueter said. "They have a lot of strengths all over the field."
Dale Cook scrambled for a 76-yard touchdown run in the running-clock second half, but Jacobs was limited to just 160 total yards in the game.