Kennedy, Eppinger pace Warren win

Warren junior Gary Eppinger knows first-hand just what it's like to try and bring down teammate Greg Kennedy.

While Kennedy doesn't look all that imposing, standing barely 5-feet-6 in his football cleats and weighing roughly 160 pounds, the senior standout running back packs quite a punch.

"I see him every day in practice and I know what it is like to try and bring him down," Eppinger said. "When I see other guys trying to tackle him, I know what they are in for."

What host Libertyville was in for Friday night was a steady dose of Kennedy on offense, and relentless pressure from Eppinger on defense.

Eppinger contributed 3 sacks, forced one fumble and recovered another. Kennedy rushed for 216 yards on 29 carries and had a pair of back-breaking fourth-quarter touchdown runs to lead Warren to a 42-21 win over Libertyville in North Suburban Lake play.

The victory sets up a showdown in Gurnee next week between Warren (7-1, 4-1) and Stevenson (8-0, 5-0) for a share of the Lake Division title.

Libertyville (4-4, 2-3) will need a win at Mundelein next Friday to remain playoff eligible.

The Wildcats battled turnovers and the Warren defense for most of the night but still were able to take control of the game midway through the third quarter. Junior quarterback A.J. Schurr engineered a 9-play, 62-yard drive that gave Libertyville its only lead of the night at 21-20 with 6:58 to play in the third quarter.

"That quarterback was tough on us all night long," said Warren coach Dave Mohapp. "He did an excellent job making our defense work there."

Warren and Kennedy responded with a long, grinding drive that saw Kennedy continually punish Wildcats defenders.

"I love contact," Kennedy said. "In practice (Gary) may hit me on the head or take me down and my teammates know that I want more and more contact."

Kennedy had 7 carries on a 12-play drive that culminated with a 4-yard scoring run that gave the Devils the lead for good at 26-21 with 8:23 to play. But Kennedy was far from being finished.

"(Kennedy) is one tough kid," Mohapp said. "You could see him get stronger as the game went along."

Two series later, Kennedy dazzled the packed house at Libertyville with his blazing speed as he popped off a 52-yard scoring run down the near sideline that ended with a leap into the end zone.

"Kennedy is one of the best backs in the state," Libertyville coach Randy Kuceyeski said. "You feel like you have done a good job - then he goes out and breaks one."

The Devils' offense had plenty of help in the second half from the Warren defense. Led by Eppinger and senior Jon Duncan, Warren held Libertyville to just 63 yards in offense while sacking Schurr four times.

"It's about getting the lead and letting the big dogs loose," Eppinger said. "We knew we really had to step up at the end."