Grayslake Central rolls by North
Thank goodness most football players have strong shoulders.
Because for the guys at Grayslake Central, Friday night was like a work out in the weight room doing a few rounds of military press.
They had some heavy lifting to do in the wake of their mega-clutch, 34-7 Fox Valley Fox Division victory over cross-town rival Grayslake North.
For their efforts, the visiting Rams got to use those shoulders to hoist a trophy high above their heads. Seniors Chris Loeffl, Cam Neely, Will Reed and CJ Stempeck did the honors in a new tradition started by the two schools. The winner of Grayslake's "Cross-town Classic" is now awarded a nice-sized trophy featuring a shiny, gold-plated football.
But lifting the trophy came after the Rams had already kind of warmed up their shoulders.
As soon as the game ended, they charged back to the visiting stands and cheered along with their fans.
Then the Rams gave quarterback Ray Beckman the hero's treatment by putting him high upon their shoulders for all the fans to see.
Beckman was instrumental in the victory, and a nice surprise for a team that has centered its offense around three talented running backs for much of the season. He completed 11-of-13 passes for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Beckman said it was his best game of the year.
"How I played well and stuff-it means everything," Beckman said. "Because this was the biggest game of the season."
Indeed it was. Beckman's break-out certainly couldn't have come at a better time for the Rams.
The win not only moves Grayslake Central to 3-1 in the all-time series against its sister school, it also keeps the playoffs in the picture. Now 4-4, the Rams could qualify for the playoffs if they defeat Mt. Vernon next week. They would hit the minimum 5-win mark for consideration and they could make the cut-off by having enough playoff points. And head coach Nick Goshe believes they will.
Heading into the game, Grayslake Central had 35 playoff points already, most in the Fox Valley Fox Division.
"If we win out, I think we should get in and that's what our goal has been," Goshe said. "Our kids came into this week really focused and ready to go because they knew what we have to do to get into the playoffs. They got down to business early."
The Rams got on the scoreboard with 2:50 left in the first quarter when Vinnie Culhane (5 catches, 116 yards) caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Beckman.
By halftime, Grayslake Central boasted a 20-0 advantage, thanks in large part to 2 touchdown runs by Jahard Nelson (2 yards, 29 yards).
A 24-yard touchdown pass from Beckman to Mike Sledz with 3:38 left in the third quarter put the Rams up 27-0 and all but put the victory on ice.
"Once you get on someone early, you pretty much take them," said Nelson, who finished with 75 yards on 11 carries. "This was such an important game for us because of the rivalry and the playoffs. Thank goodness we got this win.
"Defense, offense, we were all really focused today."
Grayslake North managed to crack the Rams once with a touchdown in the third quarter. Quarterback AJ Fish, who was returning to action after a two-week layoff due to a concussion and finished with 101 passing yards, connected with Hector Silva for a 13-yard score.
But besides that, the highlights were few for the Knights, who finished with just 41 rushing yards on the night.
They drop to 4-4 on the season and are now likely out of playoff contention. Even if they close out the season with a victory next week, they probably won't make the cut because they'll finish with too few points.
"This is disappointing," North running back David Collins said. "We kind of came out flat-footed. It was hard to watch (the Rams accept the trophy at midfield after the game). But they deserve it because they came out ready to play and we didn't."
Antioch 48, Round Lake 0: Vinnie Holm scored 4 touchdowns, as the Sequoits rolled in their North Suburban Prairie finale.
Antioch improved to 7-1 overall and finished 5-1 in the NSC Prairie. Vernon Hills (5-0), which played Lake Forest in a conference crossover Friday night, will win the division title outright with a win against North Chicago next Friday.
Holm had TD runs of 12, 5, 2 and 3 yards. Sam Green added rushing touchdowns from 37 and 42 yards out. Brett Prather returned the second-half kickoff 88 yards for the Sequoits' final score.
Warren 42, Zion-Benton 3: Tom Lindal rushed for 136 yards and 3 touchdowns, as the visiting Blue Devils notched their fifth win to became playoff-eligible.
Warren, which won for the fourth time in its last five games, improved to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the North Suburban Lake Division.
Nolan Sordyl added 116 rushing and 2 TDs for Warren, and Dimonte Wilcox rushed for 66 yards and a score.
Zion-Benton fell to 0-8, 0-5.