Huntley passes another test by routing Crystal Lake South
Huntley certainly spread the wealth Friday night.
The Red Raiders had three players rush for at least 60 yards and completed 6 passes to five different receivers while downing Crystal Lake South, 36-13, in Fox Valley Conference Valley Division action in Huntley.
The Huntley defense was also tough. After giving up an early touchdown, the Raiders shut out the Gators until late in the fourth quarter.
"We were really, really physical, and I think when we're physical, we're really special on defense," said Huntley coach John Hart. "We had a couple of opportunities on that (first scoring) drive to make a couple of picks. I think it frustrated those guys and they played better."
Eric Mooney ran for 156 yards on just 15 carries. Casey Haayer added 169 yards on the ground, and quarterback Anthony Binetti chipped in 61 yards on the ground. Haayer and Binetti each ran for a score.
Binetti also threw a TD pass to Alec Coss.
Defensively, the Raiders (7-0, 3-0) harassed Gator quarterback Luke Nolan all night. They sacked him twice, intercepted him once, by Sean Patel, and forced him to run for his life a few other times.
Nolan did end up completing 15 of 30 for 137 yards, including a 12-yard scoring strike to Matthew Meyers that got the Gators on the board in the first quarter.
After forcing 2 three-and-outs, Huntley scored on its second possession, Mooney capping the 60-yard drive with a 30-yard run. Holder Benjamin Pfeifer tossed a shovel pass to Daniel Frederick for the 2-point conversion.
The Gators (5-2, 2-1) answered with a nifty 80-yard drive, finished off with Meyers' reception in the corner of the end zone. But that was all the offense the Gators could muster until the final minute. In between, the Red Raiders reeled off 28 unanswered points to put the game away.
Overall, Huntley rushed for 334 yards and added an even hundred through the air, while holding South to 195 total yards, including just 58 on the ground.
Kyle Leva was the Gators' star on offense, catching 6 passes for 91 yards and adding 11 yards on the ground.