Lakes finishes Knights

Perfectly reasonable explanations were offered for why Lakes accomplished so little during the first three quarters of its season opener, then exploded late to secure a 21-13 victory over neighborhood rival Grayslake North.

"We all had butterflies," said Lakes running back Josh Gaido, who ran for 80 yards on 13 carries. "At halftime, we got in each other's faces and said, 'We're better than this.'"

North, beginning the third varsity season in school history, has only won once before, but looked sharp using a ball-control, three-back rushing attack. In his varsity debut, junior Glenn Mizowek ran the ball 22 times for 129 yards and the host Knights used a 66-yard drive in the first quarter to open an early 7-0 lead that held up through the end of three quarters.

"We really thought we'd rush the ball better than we did, to be honest with you," said North coach Steve Wood, whose team finished with 237 rushing yards on 54 attempts. "We held the ball forever in time of possession, which we're going to. A couple of things took us out of what we wanted to do."

Lakes finally broke through by scoring a pair of touchdown early in the fourth quarter while just 17 seconds ran off the clock. The Eagles then blocked a potential game-tying extra point with 3:27 remaining, before 6-foot-5 junior linebacker John Androus sealed the win with a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown.

The initial scoring drive featured two screen passes from quarterback Justin Hotle to Mike Scott. The first went for 16 yards, then the second resulted in a 23-yard touchdown that put Lakes on the board with 10:19 remaining.

On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, North fumbled a reverse handoff and Lakes lineman Chris Heerema pounced on it at the 15-yard line. After a penalty exchange, Gaido burst up the middle for a 15-yard run to put the visitors ahead 14-7.

"We got to halftime and said, 'Guys, it's 7-0, relax,'" said Lakes coach Luke Mertens. "We had the same thing last year. We'd be down early and they'd react like we were down 40."

After Lakes failed to capitalize on an interception, Grayslake North took over deep in its own territory and produced a clutch 90-yard drive.

The big play was a 35-yard pass off the flea-flicker from quarterback Seth Foster to Brandon Schroth, before Mizowek's 4-yard run brought the Knights within 14-13. But Schroth's extra point was blocked.

Trailing by 8, the Knights got as far as the Lakes' 38-yard line in the waning seconds, but the Eagles' third interception of the night, this one by John Werba, ended the suspense.