Huntley 40, Dundee-Crown 7
Huntley junior James Davis had not taken a rep this season as a running back in a game or practice until Monday.
He looked awfully comfortable in the backfield Friday night.
Davis rushed for 244 yards on 12 carries, all in the first half, and scored 3 touchdowns as the Red Raiders kept their playoff hopes alive with a 40-7 rout of Dundee-Crown.
“Everything was just open, Davis said. “I knew from the beginning the holes were going to be there all day.
With running backs Chris Cunningham and Christian Cervantes out because of injuries, the Red Raiders had to turn to Davis, a wide receiver who said he played running back as a freshman and sophomore.
Davis rushed for 74 yards on 4 attempts on the game's opening drive, capping the drive with a 24-yard run on a pitch left with just 10:33 left in the first quarter. Tim Lycos hit Nick Kostalek for the 2-point conversion and a 8-0 lead.
Six minutes later Joe Virzi scored on an 8-yard run following a 56-yard run from Davis. Davis ran in the conversion. Virzi added a second touchdown on a 6-yard run and a 2-point conversion run with 11:15 remaining in the first half for a 24-0 advantage.
Davis scored on his final two touches, a 22-yard run and a 54-yard run. The Red Raiders (4-4, 2-2) added 2-point conversions on both scores to make it 40-0.
“Anytime you've got a kid rolling into a new spot and haven't played a game yet, you're concerned how everything is going to happen just with the simple things as far as getting the handoffs and stuff like that when you haven't had that many reps, Huntley coach Matt Gehrig said. “He ran hard and read his blocks well.
The Red Raiders rushed for 364 yards and did not attempt a pass in the game.
“They had huge holes. Their backs found the holes and just ran all over us, Chargers coach Mike Davis said. “When you run the ball it's just about being physical and they were more physical than us.
Dundee-Crown (0-8, 0-4), which lost its 16th consecutive game, managed only 29 first-half yards and 79 yards total. Danny Sharp took a reverse handoff on the second-half kickoff and returned it 74 yards to the Red Raiders' 4. Thomas McNally connected with Brandon Stone on a 4-yard touchdown on the next play of the Chargers' only score.
Huntley will play Jacobs next week and if the Red Raiders win they will have to wait out the playoff pairings next Saturday night to see if they have enough points.