Prospect lights up against Wheeling
Prospect had no need for any postgame homecoming fireworks display after Friday's Mid-Suburban East matchup against visiting Wheeling.
There had already been more than enough on the field of play.
In an offensive explosion, the Knights rushed for 345 yards and 6 touchdowns, and scored three times through the air in a 62-24 victory over the Wildcats.
Prospect senior quarterback Steve Dazzo rushed for 4 touchdowns and threw for 2 more, while there was no shortage of offensive output from his counterpart on the Wildcats.
Wheeling QB Tyler Brady completed 20-of-33 passes for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns and rushed for 129 yards on 21 carries.
Both head coaches had nothing but praise for their rivals after the game.
"They made some big plays at crucial times," said Wheeling coach Dave Dunbar. "Their quarterback (Dazzo) and running back (Grant DePalma, 2 touchdown runs) were elusive and made plays up and down the field."
"Their QB (Brady) did a great job," said Prospect coach Brent Pearlman. "He's got a ton of poise back there. It's a good thing our offense was clicking or we could have been in big trouble."
After a Brady 58-yard-run on the game's first play from scrimmage led to a 32-yard field goal by Wheeling senior Luke Andersen, Prospect struck back with 4 quick scores.
Knights wideout Nick Czerniak caught a 46 yard TD pass, Dazzo ran in from 39 yards out, Sam Frasco had a 17-yard touchdown grab, and DePalma rushed for a 9-yard TD to give the Knights a 28-3 lead.
After Wheeling receiver Kyle Batiz caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Brady, Dazzo rumbled in from 30 yards away to give the Knights a 25-point halftime advantage.
"Our offense was functioning well tonight," said Pearlman. "The skill kids did a nice job, and so did our offensive line. They kept the ball moving."
Dazzo put the game virtually out of reach in the first minutes of the second half by scoring on another 30-yard run.
Dazzo had one more scoring run in the second half, from 11 yards away, while DePalma electrified the crowd with a 70-yard burst for a score.
Junior Shane Joyce had the Knights' other score, a 35 yard touchdown catch off the arm of backup quarterback Devin O'Hare, while Brady threw second-half TD passes to Billy Jaime (4 yards) and Clark Jensen (11 yards).
Batiz finished with 9 catches for 99 yards for the Wildcats, while DePalma broke the century mark with 103 yards rushing for the Knights.
On the defensive side, Peter Bonahoom and Joe Abu-Bakr had interceptions for Prospect.
"I'm happy we were able to get a lot of kids involved in the offense tonight," said Pearlman. "That's what we like to do.
"I was very impressed with the job Steve (Dazzo) did tonight. He did a great job from the quarterback position, of course, but I think he has an even bigger value to the team with his leadership. He's what I call a true leader."