Antioch gathers up another victory
There's no sharing in football.
That was the roundabout message delivered by coach Brian Glashagel in the team meeting held shortly after Antioch's 42-14 Northern Lake County Conference victory over host North Chicago on Friday evening.
Sure, it's OK to be stingy — especially if you're the Sequoits and you have one of the biggest games of your life coming up next week, when Grayslake North comes calling.
That's because Antioch is in the midst of a magical season and remained unbeaten at 8-0 overall and 6-0 in the league after the victory Friday.
“We know they (Grayslake North) are a high-caliber team but we don't want to share the conference title,” said senior linebacker Logan Weber, whose running mates would clinch the conference crown outright next week with a win, and likely a No. 1 seed and possibly a couple of home playoff games in the upcoming state series. “We just need to have a great week of practice and stay dialed in. Our team chemistry is incredible. When one wins, we all win.”
Weber was certainly dialed in when he picked off a second quarter pass from Warhawks quarterback Dyshawn Gales and promptly returned it 42 yards to the house, putting Antioch in control at 21-0 midway through the second quarter.
“I just looked at the quarterback and all of a sudden the ball was in my hands. I ran as fast as I could,” added Weber.
Prior to his score, the Sequoits demonstrated the run-by-committee formula that has worked wonders this season.
Senior cornerback John Howe had intercepted a Gales pass and returned it to North Chicago's 12-yard line. Three plays later, quarterback Branden Gallimore snuck in from 4 yards out to make it 7-0 with just under two minutes left in the opening act.
Then, with 9:43 left in the half, junior fullback Drew Porter rumbled in from a yard out to make it 14-0.
After the Weber pick, Porter, who ran for 103 yards on 22 carries, scored his second touchdown when he scampered in from 10 yards with 1:35 left in the half and put Antioch well in control at 28-0. The touchdown was set up when Weber forced a fumble that was ultimately recovered by junior cornerback Nicolas Chiapetta at the North Chicago 40.
“We know we have a big target on our backs,” said senior running back Brandon Lind, who also got into the scoring action with his 8-yard run for the only tally in the third that put the Sequoits up 35-0. “We feed off each other's energy and are just taking it one step at a time. We believe in ourselves and need to keep the confidence level high.”
The Sequoits' final score came when Porter sprinted into the end zone from 5 yards out for his third score to make it 42-0 with 9:25 left in the game.
With the running clock active, North Chicago (3-5, 2-4) scored a couple of late touchdowns for the final margin.
Lind finished with 45 yards on seven carries while Gallimore had 24 yards on 5 carries as Antioch rushed for 215 yards on the evening.