Grant happy to finish on top

Finishing on a winning note after an up-and-down season was satisfying for Grant's football team in its finale on Friday night.

The Bulldogs' Leo Minne got his first start at quarterback in place of senior Justin Cokefair, who sat out with an injured knee. Minne fit in quite well, rushing for touchdowns of 2, 6 and 54 yards. He finished with 102 yards on 19 carries.

Senior running back Dan Hourihan added scores from 2 and 12 yards and finished with 113 yards on 13 carries.

"The week of practice was a little shaky," Minne said. "The offense was moving well. We came up pretty strong the whole game. I just wanted to help the seniors out - it was their last game."

Grant ran past North Chicago 42-6 in the North Suburban Prairie finale in Fox Lake. The Bulldogs finished at 4-5 and 4-2, while North Chicago ended at 1-8 and 1-5.

"It was bittersweet ending the season with a win," Grant coach Kurt Rouse said. "It was a good win, but I'd rather have it as a springboard for the playoffs. We had an up and down season. Unfortunately, we weren't good enough to make the playoffs."

Alex Cacchione (13 carries, 80 yards) also added a 2-yard touchdown for Grant.

The Bulldogs' defense also finished strong, holding the Warhawks to 13 yards of offense and just 2 first downs.

There was trouble in the game. In the second quarter, Grant took a 19-0 after Minne scampered on his 54-yard run down the sideline. A skirmish between three North Chicago players and three from Grant took place at the Warhawks' 30-yard line. Referees steppted in and took control of the situation, along with coaches from both sides, before the fracas got too far out of hand. The game was held up for almost 10 minutes; one player from each team was ejected before the game continued.

Even North Chicago coach Glen Kozlowski ran onto the field to try to prevent any escalation.

"I don't know if I've run any faster to get out there." Kozlowski said. "I wanted to make sure, I got out there, getting in control of the situation. It wasn't anything like last time. I believe both sides got it under control quickly."

The Warhawks added a late touchdown as Keenan Handy returned a kickoff 72 yards.