Crystal Lake South advances with a shutout

The Gators felt right at home in the swamp that used to be Ken Bruhn Field in Crystal Lake Friday night.

Playing on a rain-soaked, puddle-strewn field that started green but quickly turned muddy brown, third-seeded Crystal Lake South received contributions from every segment of the roster and dispatched No. 14 Glenbrook North 35-0 in a Class 7A first-round playoff game.

CL South (9-1) advances to play the winner of No. 11 Lake Zurich (6-3) at No. 6 Rolling Meadows (7-2), which takes place tonight at 7 p.m.

Green-and-gold-clad heroes were everywhere:

Senior Brandon Erickson ran for a 27-yard touchdown and caught a 57-yard pass that set up a 1-yard plunge.

Senior running back Kameron Scott rushed 15 times for 121 yards and a touchdown.

Junior quarterback Drew Ormseth completed 4-of-6 passes for 103 yards, threw for 1 touchdown and ran for another.

Senior receiver Alec Giles caught a 50-yard pass for a touchdown.

Senior linebacker J.D. Barchard and nose guard Sam McCole spearheaded a smothering defense that notched a school-record fifth shutout.

"Our defensive line looked the best it has all year," Scott said.

The Gators were in complete control throughout. They led 21-0 at halftime, tacked on 2 more touchdowns in the third quarter and outgained Glenbrook North (6-4) 366 yards to 31.

After a scoreless first quarter, CL South's offense gained traction. Three plays after a 19-yard touchdown scamper by Ormseth was called back due to a penalty, Erickson took a pitch and followed lead blocker Barchard 27 yards down the left sideline to the end zone, giving the Gators a 7-0 lead with 7:59 left in the second quarter.

"After we had that penalty we knew we had to do something big," Erickson said. "J.D. led me around the outside and (Giles) got a good block. Everyone was sealed off and J.D. got me into the end zone."

After the defense forced one of Glenbrook North's 8 punts of the evening, Ormseth went to work. He was 2-for-4 for minus-4 yards and an interception before he spotted Erickson on a crossing pattern. The pass went for 57 yards to the Spartans' 1-yard line, courtesy of a downfield pancake block by Scott, and Erickson finished the drive with a 1-yard run that made it 14-0 with 1:41 left in the half. But Ormseth wasn't done.

One play after the Gators got the ball back with 22 seconds left, Ormseth spotted Giles running the same route with which Erickson had enjoyed success. The defender slipped as the ball arrived and Giles raced 50 yards for a touchdown. He crossed the goal line with .8 seconds showing on the clock, and Bolek Mikulec's point after gave the Gators a 21-0 lead at the half.

"Early on I think Drew was a little skiddish, worrying about the football in these conditions," South coach Jim Stuglis said. "But he buckled down and those were great throws going into the half."

The Spartans were scheduled to receive the second-half kick, but they deferred possession in the hope that playing with the strong wind on a wet field would fuel a comeback, which coach Bob Pieper later called "A gamble that didn't work out."

The Gators held the ball for 11:15 of 12 minutes in the third quarter, scoring on a pair of time-consuming drives separated by Brett Barchard's fumble recovery on a kickoff. Scott capped the first drive with a 5-yard run and Ormseth capped the second with a 12-yard scramble after he recovered his own fumbled shotgun snap.