Cook and Lake County football roundup: Maine South survives Glenbrook South
Maine South (4-3, 3-0) had to battle back twice and then hang on to take over sole possession of the CSL South.
The Hawks rallied twice and then held on thanks to a sack from Tyler Fortis to edge Glenbrook South 31-28 Thursday in Glenview.
Glenbrook South (3-4, 2-1), which has not beaten Maine South in a regular season football game in over 30 years, took a 21-10 lead with four minutes left in the first half. That’s when the Hawks came flying back.
Michael Dellumo had a 16-yard touchdown run to cut it to 21-17 just a minute later. In the third quarter, Cole Chiovari, who kicked a 27-ayrd field goal in the first quarter, busted off a 43-yard touchdown run to put Maine South back on top 24-21 midway through the third quarter.
Glenbrook South regained the lead early in the fourth quarter on a touchdown run to lead 28-24.
Again, the Hawks came back. Dellumo had a pair of rushes to bring the ball down to the Titans’ 1-yard line. Jameson Purcell then threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Espinosa with seven minutes left to put the Hawks up 31-28.
Glenbrook South made a final effort to tie or pull ahead. But thanks to a Tyler Fortis sack, the Hawks pushed the Titans back to the Maine South 24-yard line. Glenbrook South would then turn the ball over on downs.
Purcell also threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Constatine Coines in the first quarter.
Grant 49, Grayslake Central 34: Tyler Zdon rushed for 292 yards on 28 carries and scored three touchdowns as Grant (4-3, 3-2) took a step closer to playoff eligibility. Zdon had touchdown rushes of 50, 28 and 46 yards. Quarterback Matthew Gipson also had a huge night, firing four touchdown passes and completing 16-of-18 passes for 166 yards. He threw a pair of touchdown passes to Max Hembrey covering 30 and 11 yards. Gipson also threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Wiley and a one-yard scoring pass to Jayrell Conner.
Maine West 41, Vernon Hills 14: Maine West (6-1, 3-0) earned their third consecutive playoff appearance and also moved into first place in the CSL North. The Warriors racked up 41 first-half points behind Maks Makota, who ran for three touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass. Makota, who rushed for 152 yards on 9 carries, scored on runs of 53, 75 and five yards. He also had a two-yard touchdown reception from Tely Litas. Dante Hicks had a pair of touchdowns on runs of 59 and 17 yards. Vernon Hills (1-6, 1-2) got a pair of touchdowns from Giuseppe Urso, who rushed for 94 yards.
Grayslake North 40, Lakes 0: Mitchell Hughes helped Grayslake North (5-2, 3-2) put the game away early. Hughes, who was 15-of-22, threw for four touchdowns, fired a conversion pass and also had 131 rushing yards, including an 88-yard touchdown run. Cameron Bates (4 receptions, 142 yards) had a trio of touchdowns on catches of two, 80 and 43 yards. Tyler McBride had a 26-yard touchdown run while Landon Dovel had a three-yard touchdown run.
Maine East 30, Niles North 7: Maine East (3-4, 1-2) won its first CSL North conference game in 12 years. Tryfon Giolas threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns as the Blue Demons won their third game in a single season for the first time since 2012.
Hoffman Estates 35, Conant 7: Hoffman Estates (5-2, 1-2) broke a two-game losing streak and took home the Hoffman “Mayor’s Cup” in the process. Nate Cleveland, who despite verbally committing to Minnesota a couple months back, just received an offer from Illinois, had a huge night. Cleveland, who was 15-of-21 for 267 yards, threw a trio of touchdown passes while rushing for 46 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown run. Jmari Jackson caught a 44-yard touchdown pass, Torey Baskin (5 receptions, 104 yards) a 22-yarder and Liam Patrick (6 receptions, 102 yards) a 15-yarder. Quan Fields ran for 89 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown run. Conant (0-7, 0-3) scored on a Tyler Marchese to Bradley Biedke 68-yard touchdown throw.
Elk Grove 17, Buffalo Grove 14: In the battle of the Groves, Elk Grove (3-4, 2-1) saved its best effort for the end. Dimitar Pendev booted a 35-yard field goal with 44 seconds to go. Dylan Berkowitz then followed with three consecutive sacks to preserve the victory for the Grenadiers. Daniel Pasterski (15-of-22, 185 yards) threw a pair of touchdown passes of five and 60 yards to Ryan Tanner. Buffalo Grove (1-6, 0-3) got a pair of touchdown runs from Jacob Hensley, who scored from four yards out and Matthew Kaput, who tallied on a one-yard dive.
Rolling Meadows 42, Wheeling 0: Rolling Meadows (5-2, 2-1) bounced back from last week’s loss in a huge way and became playoff eligible. The Mustangs rolled up 42 first half points and coasted for the victory. Meadows had four different players score on touchdown runs led by Keeling Murray (5 carries, 133 yards), who broke off a 44-yard scoring run just 38 seconds into the game. Vinnie Piccolo had an 11-yard touchdown run, Devyn Armstrong tallied from two yards out and Luke Harvey scored on a 21-yard run. Harvey also caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Quincy Johnson (12-of-19, 147 yards). Johnson also threw a 23-yard tally to Arman Lepuzanovic.
Lake Zurich 20, Mundelein 7: Lake Zurich (4-3, 4-1) won its third in a row thanks to a solid running game that accounted for 132 yards. Alex Pirone had 90 of those yards on 24 carries and scored on a three-yard run. Reid Pfeifer and George DiCanio each had one-yard rushing touchdowns for the Bears. Mundelein got a late touchdown to avoid the shutout.
Libertyville 40, Zion Benton 14: Libertyville (7-0, 5-0) continues to play at a high level. Quinn Schambow threw five touchdown passes, four of which came in the opening quarter. Schambow connected twice to Blaise LaVista on plays of 27 and 36 yards. Stevan Gavric had a 38-yard touchdown reception, Brock Williams a 61-yard scoring play and Same Seth tallied on a 6-yard pass.