Prospect wraps up MSL East title
On a night when Prospect High School turned out to honor the football coach who brought them three state championships, his team turned in a performance that gave the Knights reason to believe that another playoff run is possible.
The Knights (8-1, 5-0) blanked Buffalo Grove 28-0 to win the Mid-Suburban East championship outright by relying on quarterback Steve Dazzo for much of the offense and on an opportunistic defense that intercepted 3 passes and held the Bison (4-5, 2-3) to just 26 yards rushing.
Dazzo had a hand in all of Prospect's touchdowns. He rushed for 212 yards on 22 carries and scored touchdowns on runs of 3 and 10 yards in the second quarter and 23 yards in the third.
Dazzo also had a 90-yard touchdown called back on one of the Knights' 18 penalties. He completed a 9-yard scoring pass to Nick Czerniak to close out the scoring in the fourth quarter.
“We threw a lot in the first half,” Dazzo said. “Eventually, we started running up the middle. Once we figured that out, it was wide open.”
“He's one of those kids whose courage allows him to do some things others won't do,” said Prospect coach Brent Pearlman, who is in his 12th and final year of his tenure. “He's fearless. There's no one I'd rather have under center than him.
“Our guys have gotten better, but they haven't reached the pinnacle. We're progressing, and that's what we have to do now.”
Dazzo agreed with Pearlman that his last regular season game was less important than what awaits the Knights in the playoffs.
“The biggest thing is, we had a lot at stake,” Dazzo said. “We were playing for a (higher) seed. We want to make a run.”
“We pretty much ignored it, because this is not the end for us,” said Anthony Babicz, who recorded 2 quarterback sacks.
“The program belongs to the kids,” Pearlman said prior to a reception in Jean Walker Field House after the game. “If you want to honor someone, honor the kids. I'm very appreciative (of the attention), but I was representing them.
“I know these kids, and they know they can do more. They know we can be significantly better.”
The defeat ended Buffalo Grove's playoff hopes, though coach Jim Farrell was proud of his team's effort.
The Bison's lone scoring threat was negated when a touchdown pass was nullified by a penalty.
“Prospect is a great team, and you can't make mistakes,” Farrell said. “The penalty on the touchdown was the turning point for us.
“We knew we had our work cut out for us. We fought hard all year.”
He was especially pleased with Garrity's performance after missing five games due to a concussion. He finished 17-of-36 for 166 yards and 3 interceptions.