Hojnacki runs for 204 yards, 4 TDs, helps 8-0 Huntley pull away from Burlington Central
Final score: Huntley 32, Burlington Central 12.
Records: The Red Raiders stay perfect at 8-0, 8-0 in the Fox Valley Conference while the Rockets fall to 5-3, 5-3
Player of the game: Huntley tailback Chase Hojnacki ran for 204 yards and four touchdowns, with 169 yards and three scores coming in the second half.
Other statistical leaders: Raiders quarterback Malik Carter completed 12 of 16 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown. Matthew Schroeder hauled in seven of those completions, including the TD. On the Rockets’ side, tailback R.J. Perez ran 23 times for 104 yards. Reece Beemer completed 11 of 18 passes for 80 yards and a TD to Jordan Coombs, while also running for a score. The Rockets’ ball-control offense was able to keep Huntley’s high-powered offense off the field for much of the first half.
Turning point: Huntley led just 14-12 after the teams traded scores to start the second half. After the Rockets’ score, Easton Garifo returned the kickoff to the Raiders’ 40-yard line. From there, Carter led Huntley 60 yards in nine plays. Hojnacki took it in from two yards out, starting a run of 18 unanswered points to close the game. He later scored on runs of one and six yards, to go with a two-yarder that opened the scoring on Huntley’s first possession of the game.
First-half highlight: Just before halftime, Coombs raced over to make a leaping catch in the corner of the end zone for the Rockets’ first score. The extra point was blocked, but the Rockets trailed just 7-6 at halftime.
Second-half highlights: Hojnacki pinballing his way to runs of 26 and 30 yards to set up the Raiders’ final two touchdowns.
X-factor: While the Raiders’ potent offense draws much of the attention, the defense made some big plays as well. A first-half strip sack by Toluwani Ajayi, with Eli Bruns recovering the fumble, ended a Central drive in Huntley territory. Micah Hood recorded another sack and Dechawn Jones’s interception ended Burlington’s final drive.
The quote:“I feel like the energy in the first half was very declined, and in the second half we tried to say, ‘Let’s run the ball.’ The passing game wasn’t really working in the first half,” Hojnacki said. “We had two drives where we were three and out just passing and I feel like my coaches put a lot of trust in me to start running downhill and running my butt off.”