Both teams lose QBs as Grant tops Wauconda
Grant won the latest battle of the Bulldogs, scoring the final 4 touchdowns to post a 48-23 victory over visiting Wauconda in the North Suburban Prairie.
But one postgame scene illustrated a sad sidebar to this contest. Two talented starting quarterbacks - Grant's Leo Minne and Wauconda's Brian Kent - met for a short conversation at midfield, both players balancing on a set of crutches.
In each case, the news wasn't devastating, but not really encouraging, either. Grant coach Kurt Rous said Minne has a high right ankle sprain and is hoping to play again in a few weeks.
Kent suffered a left knee injury and wasn't quite sure of its severity, but Wauconda coach Dave Mills said the training staff felt confident the senior did not tear his ACL, which would be a season-ender.
"I didn't feel a pop, just pure, straight pain," Kent said.
So this turned into a battle of backup quarterbacks and more specifically, a test of the running games. Even with the defense expecting Grant fullback Steve Niewiedzial to carry the ball on every play, the senior plowed forward for an incredible 244 rushing yards on 27 carries.
"I had to keep my team up, keep my head up, then the line blocked great," Niewiedzial said. "It's really all up to the linemen. I don't remember the last time I saw open field, so it was nice."
After scoring the game's first touchdown on a 48-yard sprint, Minne went down on Grant's second possession, which brought junior Alex Villa behind center. On his third snap, Villa tossed a 23-yard fourth-down touchdown pass to Jerry Gaylor.
Kent led Wauconda on a 97-yard touchdown drive, then Niewiedzial's 59-yard run set up another score and gave Grant (2-3, 2-1) a 20-16 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, Wauconda (1-4, 0-2) seemed to seize momentum by recovering two straight onside kicks. The first set up a 5-yard touchdown run by junior Tim Martin to put the visitors ahead 23-20.
Grant's defense held after the second onside kick and following a punt, the game changed again. At his own 29-yard line, Kent threw the ball with a pass rusher hanging on his back. The toss was intercepted by Grant's Matt O'Donnell, returned inside the 10-yard line and Kent was injured trying to make the tackle.
Wauconda recovered a fumbled snap on the next play, but couldn't move the ball with 140-pound junior Eric Dragon at quarterback. Grant finished a short drive with a 3-yard run by Niewiedzial to take a 27-23 lead with 1:03 left in the third quarter.
In the fourth, Niewiedzial broke loose for a 70-yard run, Alex Cacchione took a pitch 28 yards for a score and O'Donnell returned his second interception 16 yards into the end zone to make it 48-23. The final quarter also included far too many late hits, false starts and personal fouls.
"It's pretty hard to fill in for Brian Kent," Mills said. "We'll load up, do the best we can and try to get ready for Vernon Hills."