‘We’re not done,’ says confident Kramer after directing Glenbard North to second playoff victory

Angelo Gatses has provided his share of memorable moments for Glenbard North’s football team this season.

While Gatses did his part, rushing for 109 yards on 14 carries and a 45-yard touchdown late in the third quarter, this night belonged to junior quarterback Logan Kramer.

Kramer completed 7 of 12 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, while adding another touchdown on the ground to help lift the Panthers (5-6) to a 35-13 victory over No. 6 seed Jacobs (8-2) in Friday night’s first round of the Class 7A playoffs in Algonquin.

With the win, the 38th-seeded Panthers advance to next weekend’s 7A quarterfinals for the second consecutive season against Saturday’s Niles North-Richards winner.

“We’re not done,” said Kramer, whose touchdown passes covered 45, 48 and 36 yards on the Panthers’ first three first-half possessions. “We have a lot of confidence. The records don’t matter anymore — everyone is 0-0 now.”

Kramer connected with a wide-open Michael Barnes III on a 45-yard strike to give the Panthers a 7-0 first-quarter lead.

“The cornerback and safety came down and I was like, ‘who is going to No. 5 (Barnes),’ so I had to put it on him,” said Kramer. “That touchdown really helped set the tone for the game.”

After his 48-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Jenkins made it 14-0 early in the second quarter, Kramer rolled to his left and launched a 36-yard scoring strike to Pierre Portis to stretch the lead to 21-0.

Jacobs got on the board before halftime as junior quarterback Austin Stennett (10 of 24, 170 yards) tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Cayden Barnes.

Kramer, who also rushed for 88 yards on seven carries, added a 65-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter.

“There was a small hole, but I got through there and took off,” said Kramer, whose play impressed Panthers coach Justin Kerwin.

“Teams are going to focus on Angelo (Gatses), but Logan is calm, cool, and collective, and he understands what we are trying to do on offense,” said Kerwin. “He made some great decisions tonight.

“Angelo makes teams defend that run — and it opens up opportunities in the passing game.”

Sophomore tailback Jayden Millan tallied the Golden Eagles’ final score on a four-yard run.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t play a good game tonight,” said Jacobs coach Brian Zimmerman. “The big plays killed us.

“Overall, it was a great season. We were picked to finish fifth in the Fox Valley (Jacobs placed second). We have a lot of guys coming back. The future is bright.”

Jacobs junior receiver Owen Crouch finished with four catches for 106 yards.

Barnes paced the Panthers with two catches for 76 yards, while junior linebacker Jaxon Hardy keyed the defensive effort with a fumble recovery.

“I feel we’re in the best public school conference in the state from top to bottom,” said Kerwin. “Obviously, we’re very happy to have the extended playoffs.”