Cary-Grove rolls over Woodstock North

Halftime was winding down and Tyler Pennington and his rain-soaked and mud-caked Cary-Grove teammates were in the locker room preparing to finish what they started Friday night at Woodstock North.

And then one of the game officials came in and surprised the Trojans with the news that their work was complete. They were declared a 34-0 winner in the Fox Valley Conference crossover matchup of unbeatens because of another anticipated wave of inclement weather and deteriorating field conditions.

"We didn't suspect anything," Pennington said after rushing for 73 yards and 2 touchdowns on 9 carries. "The ref came in and said, 'We're done,' and we're going home with a win. In 10 years of football I've never had that happen."

Cary-Grove (4-0) had already played through two lightning delays of about 80 minutes in a game that started an hour earlier than scheduled because of the bad weather forecast. A commanding 299-34 advantage in total yards made splashing around the mud bath even more enjoyable as Ryan Magel, Kyle Pressley and Bobby Collins also ran for touchdowns.

"Playing in the mud is always fun," Pennington said. "The mud and rain is true football weather. It's like playing in the backyard with your friends."

But it could also serve a long-term purpose for a program accustomed to playing meaningful games in unpredictable late-October and November weather.

"In some ways, if we weren't in and out (because of lightning delays), the actual conditions of it being wet are certainly a good thing," Cary-Grove coach Brad Seaburg said of playing on a grass field in the rain.

"You have to stay tough and you have to stay focused," Pennington said. "This was a good day to prepare for that and I thought we did a good job with it."

Pennington immediately bounced back from a false start penalty by roaring 28 yards up the middle for the only points Cary-Grove would need just 2:15 into the game. Pennington then recovered the first of 4 lost Woodstock North (3-1) fumbles and Magel (4 carries, 45 yards) took a pitchout 23 yards for a touchdown.

Pressley capped a 7-play, 50-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run after the lightning delays. Senior quarterback J.P. Sullivan ran for 43 yards on 3 first-quarter carries before Collins took over in the second quarter.

Collins raced 57 yards with his first carry to set up Pennington's 1-yard touchdown plunge. Collins (6 carries, 68 yards) scored from 6 yards 1:56 before halftime as Dan Montemurro, Zach Cohen, Colton Ruhland, Ross Bernier, Owen Henriques, Erik Norberg and Jimmy Freskos led the Trojans to 288 rushing yards on just 27 carries.

John Cullen recovered 2 fumbles and a big hit by Jake Kuhl forced another.

"Overall it was a great effort and our defense played very well again," Seaburg said. "We wanted to get Bobby in there with the rest of the starters and he did a nice job."