Jacobs steamrolls Dundee-Crown
After almost knocking off state-ranked Crystal Lake South last week, the Jacobs Golden Eagles were severely motivated to make their presence felt during their annual rivalry game against Dundee-Crown Friday night.
Not only was it felt on the scoreboard a 41-0 drumming in a must-win over the Chargers to enhance their playoff eligibility Jacobs did so in robust fashion at the D-C Bowl Friday night to earn its eighth-straight over D-C.
Jacobs (4-3, 1-2) rang off 41 first-half points, won the total yardage battle 441-66 and held the Chargers to just 4 first downs. And for an added statement, the entire Jacobs team donned pink socks in honor of October's Breast Cancer Awareness month.
“That's one of the first things we said when we got out on this field was to make a statement, said Jacobs running back Caz Zyks, who rushed the ball 10 times for 123 yards. “Let us know that we're ready to play and we're not going to give up.
It appeared that giving up wasn't a part of Jacobs' repertoire. The Golden Eagles scored on every drive in the first half. Jason Judson (4-for-11, 93 yards, 2 touchdowns) connected with Henry Gigeous from 25 yards out on the game's first score, giving Jacobs an early 7-0 lead.
Grant Rizza's 1-yard run 6 minutes later and fullback Kyle Wright's 27-yard scamper made it 21-0 by the end of the first quarter.
Jacobs' offensive attacked like a hungry shark well into the second quarter. Judson found Gigeous again from 14 yards with a little over 10 minutes remaining. Using the deep ball on their fourth drive, Judson hit receiver Jamal Brooks on a fade near the right pile-on for 23-yards to up the lead to 35.
Wright added another score from a yard out, and he and Zyks combined for 252 yards rushing at the half.
“Me and (Zyks) have been best friends since about sixth grade, and we've been playing together since second grade, Wright said, while rushing 13 times for 129 yards for 2 scores. “We feed off each other's energy. He's always pepping me up even if I get a negative yard.
Jacobs coach Bill Mitz was right about his team clicking on all cylinders. No points were allowed as D-C couldn't make it past the Jacobs 40, and the running attack amounted for 348 of 441 total yards. The rivalry game meant a lot for Jacobs since it sits on the playoff threshold at 4-3, needing at least one more win to become eligible for the first time since 2006.
“We told the kids we have a three-game series here to see where we could be at the end of the season, Mitz said. “Two more to go.
Dundee-Crown (0-7, 0-3) may be going in the opposite direction, and so too was its running game. Dundee-Crown rushed for negative 9 yards, but its passing game saw some bright spots. Filling in for an injured Tanner Kotlan, junior Tom McNally threw for 75 yards, including one pass play for 27 yards, where he avoided what it seemed like the whole Jacobs defense barreling down on him.
“They played a pretty tough defense, they were physical, they filled the holes hard, McNally said. “It's tough getting outside on them when we were in our boots.
“We just have to keep our heads up when we talk about how we're going to get better. Hopefully we'll go out and get one next week.