Healthy again, Travis runs wild in Hersey’s blowout win over Buffalo Grove
Hersey’s Jackson Travis name sounds like a country music star.
However, the Hersey running back doesn’t sing. But boy, can he run.
Travis showed off those running skills Friday, rushing for 121 yards on 11 carries and three touchdowns to lead the Huskies past Buffalo Grove 49-14 in Arlington Heights.
“I know it’s confusing for people with a last name as a first name and a first name as a last name,” said Travis, a junior.
“Who knows, there may be a country star out there with the same name as mine. I’m just happy to be running the football.”
It took a lot if work in the offseason to get Travis back on the gridiron after he injured himself in October.
“I had a grade one tear of my PCL and MCL,” Travis explained. “I worked very hard to get back in time for track season in the spring and ready for football this year.”
Hersey coach Tom Nelson knows that going forward for his Huskies (5-0, 1-0) they will need to lean on Travis’ legs to keep the pressure off Kentucky-bound quarterback Jake Nawrot.
“Travis is a good football player,” Nelson said. “We have known it for a long time. He battled some injuries last year. We always want to run the ball and we pride ourselves on that.”
Travis, who came into the game with 493 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, got the Huskies going early. Hersey used that to score a touchdown on its first five possessions.
Travis scored just 49 seconds into the game to cap a three-play, 63-yard drive.
He then followed with another touchdown on the Huskies’ next possession to end a 15-play, 67-yard drive. Travis would also catch the conversion pass from Nawrot, then later blast off a 63-yard touchdown run.
When Buffalo Grove (3-2, 0-1) became focused to stop the run, Nawrot went to work. He finished 13-of-19 passing for 205 yards and three touchdowns.
Nawrot threw touchdown passes of 27 yards to Jaxon Saint Paul and another 27-yard scoring strike to Josh Riggs in the first half as the Huskies built a 35-0 lead. Nawrot then sent the game to a running clock on a 36-yard touchdown pass to Riggs (four catches, 85 yards).
“People worried about us losing Brandon (Jenkins) from last year,” Nawrot said. “He was a heck of a talent, but Travis has talent for years to come. Travis is awesome. He runs the ball really hard and he runs it well.”
Buffalo Grove was able to add late touchdowns on a one-yard run by Daniel Cazares and a 31-yard fumble return by Jonah Summers.
“We knew coming in we had to play a perfect game to stay close and we just did not do that,” Buffalo Grove coach Jeff Vlk said. “We took our chances when we had them. But in the end, they were just better.”
Hersey got its final score on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Levi McEwen to Grant McKinney.