Cary-Grove grinds out win over Crystal Lake South
Cary-Grove looked to grab the early momentum Friday in their Fox Valley Conference game against Crystal Lake South, but a lost fumble on the Trojans' first play spoiled any chance of that.
South capitalized on the mistake with a Michael Prokos 22-yard touchdown pass from Caden Casimino, and the Gators found themselves with the ball once again after the Trojans fumbled the ensuing kickoff.
Cary-Grove's defense, however, was up to the task and held South on its next possession. The Trojans' offense responded with a nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, capped by one of four touchdown runs from sophomore fullback Logan Abrams.
The Trojans went on to score on four consecutive possessions and rolled up 397 yards on the ground to run away from the Gators 47-21 at Al Bohrer Field.
“One of the things we really wanted to do was to take the momentum from them right away,” Trojans coach Brad Seaburg said. “I just think everybody picked each other up. It wasn't really a message to them.
“We just have to take care of the ball, and the rest will take care of itself.”
Although the Trojans (6-2, 6-2 FVC) turned the ball over four times, the offense still was able to get on track with Abrams and running back Andrew Prio churning out big yards.
Abrams finished with 189 yards and four touchdowns, and Prio racked up 149 yards and scored twice, including 67-yard and 15-yard touchdowns that gave the Trojans a commanding 28-7 lead with 4:18 left in the first half.
Then, it was Abrams' turn for a long run as the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder ran over a defender at South's 46-yard line on his way to a 53-yard score. C-G led 34-7 at half.
Abrams, who fumbled on the Trojans' first play, was eager to get the ball back.
“You just have to move on,” Abrams said of his early fumble. “You can fix that in practice, you can't worry about it. I just wanted to come back and show what I can do better.”
Along with a fourth score from Abrams in the second half, quarterback Peyton Seaburg (added an 11-yard TD.
The field already was soaked with a few muddy spots on the field before it started to rain significantly at the start of the second half.
Senior offensive lineman Kelly Mace said the Trojans didn't mind.
Led up front by a combination of Mace, Anthony Cruz, Lucas Burton, Jack Hissong, Samuel Diaz and Luca Vivaldelli, C-G ran the ball 45 times, averaging 8.2 yards a carry.
“The worse weather, the better,” Mace said. “We tend to prevail in this. Rough start, but a great finish. I think we have the same basic plays from summer and we keep building on those plays, executing them perfectly.
“You don't need a big menu when you do everything to a 'T.'”