Cary-Grove turning to a more balanced attack

Run-oriented Cary-Grove will not declare itself a passing team anytime soon, but the offense is notably more balanced than a year ago.

In 2017, Cary-Grove's 597 passing yards over 11 games accounted for 15.2 percent of the offense. The triple-option attack rushed for 3,334 of its 3,931 total yards.

Things have changed a bit with senior Ben McDonald (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) now under center and former quarterback Quinn Priester (6-3, 190) playing split end. Priester's position change was necessitated by summer baseball commitments that lasted through a portion of August practices.

Through 4 games, Cary-Grove's 500 passing yards represent 29.2 percent of its 1,710 total yards. The Trojans have completed 33 of 50 attempts (66 percent).

"It feels pretty good," McDonald said of directing a more unpredictable offense. "I love it. I love being able to throw the ball around as many times as I get to."

McDonald has completed 68.9 percent of his attempts (31 of 45). He has thrown 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Cary-Grove threw 2 touchdown passes last year and no interceptions.

McDonald's top targets are speedy senior Danny Daigle, who normally plays in the backfield but sometimes lines up at receiver, and Priester (6-3, 190).

Daigle leads the team in receptions (17), receiving yards (241) and touchdown receptions (3).

Priester has 14 catches for 230 yards and 2 touchdowns, including last week's remarkable 22-yard scoring reception against Huntley that he tipped to himself and caught on the dive with two hands.

"They're both great route runners. It's easy to throw the ball to them," McDonald said last Friday after Cary-Grove (4-0, 4-0 Fox Valley) prevailed 35-20 at Huntley.

Do the Trojans - ranked No. 1 in this week's Class 6A Associated Press poll - view themselves as more balanced offensively?

"We just do whatever works," Priester said. "I really wouldn't go and say Cary-Grove is a passing team, but it's been working. We've been getting some big gains out of it. Ben's making some great throws."

Priester's coach agreed.

"We're not a passing team yet," Cary-Grove coach Brad Seaburg said, "but having the threat, I think, is important. Teams have to at least respect Quinn out there."

Long-Term dividends: Nicky Termini took care of his personal business off the football field.

Now, the state champion wrestler from Elgin is taking care of some unfinished business on the gridiron alongside his Burlington Central football teammates.

Termini won the Class 2A wrestling state title at 145 pounds in February, but remained uncommitted this summer. Thus, he said he felt compelled to concentrate on his primary sport rather than split interests. He was Central's leading rusher last season with 52 carries for 318 yards (6.1 avg) and 5 touchdowns.

"Wrestling is my main sport and I wanted to go Division I and I felt I needed to put a lot more work in," Termini explained Wednesday. "I needed to spend more time in wrestling and I didn't know if football would fit into my schedule."

That decision paid off. He wrestled throughout the summer and placed eighth at 138 pounds at the Junior Cadet Nationals in Fargo in July.

Offers started rolling in, Termini said. A few college visits were arranged and he was confident enough in his scholarship prospects to return to football practice the day after Central's season-opening loss at Sycamore.

Termini only needed one college visit, it turned out. He committed to Old Dominion after visiting the Norfolk, Virginia campus two weeks ago.

Old Dominion coach Steve Martin, who wrestled at Iowa and played high school football himself, encouraged the 17-year-old running back to play football for Burlington Central.

"He knows it's important to me," Termini said. "so he said go have fun with it, light some kids up and come back ready to work."

Termini was activated Friday and carried the ball 15 times for a team-high 77 yards and a 4-yard touchdown to help Central win 14-10 against Woodstock. It was the first victory for the Rockets in four tries.

The highlight was Termini's 4-yard, second-quarter scoring jaunt. He actually covered about 40 yards on the play after reversing field.

"It was a long way to go for 4 yards," he said.

The senior's presence in the lineup had a positive impact.

"Watching him out there was like, 'Wow, there it is, there's our dynamic piece of the puzzle,'" Central coach Brian Melvin said. "He missed some holes, but it was Week 1 for him.

"It's a huge addition to our team and we're glad to have him back."

Right place, right time: Larkin (3-1, 3-1 Upstate Eight) has won three straight games since acting head coach Jason Aubry stepped in for first-year coach Jesus Gonzalez, who remained sidelined as of Wednesday by Elgin Area School District U-46 for an undisclosed personnel issue.

Since a season-opening 55-6 loss to West Aurora in the season opener, the Royals have defeated three winless teams: Streamwood (13-12), East Aurora (40-15) and West Chicago (38-26).

"Right now we're playing confident football, and when you play confident football you can do some good things," Aubry said. "I'm not saying we're playing at a level like a Lincoln-Way East or a West Aurora, who just came in and pounded us, but we're slowly getting better each week and growing. They've only been running this offense for about six weeks."

Aubry was hired over the summer to be Larkin's offensive coordinator. He was let go by Joliet West last fall after he directed that program to a second consecutive playoff appearance.

Aubry coaches a spread offense with his son, Jaxon, at quarterback. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound senior has completed 46 of 85 of passes (54 percent) for 618 yards and 6 touchdowns and has been intercepted four times.

Jaxon Aubry's favorite target is all-Upstate Eight receiver/defensive back Jahari Stubbs (5-11, 155). The senior has 29 receptions for 427 yards and 3 touchdowns. He made 7 receptions last season.

Leading rusher Angel Garcia, a St. Edward transfer, has carried 43 times for 226 yards and 3 scores.

"We're playing well," Stubbs said. "We're playing with a lot of energy. We're playing how we're supposed to. Over time (the offense) got a lot easier to understand. We're coming along fine."

The Royals face a pivotal game on Friday at 7:30 p.m., when they host Glenbard South (3-1, 3-1) at Memorial Field. The Royals and Raiders are locked in a four-way tie for third place in the UEC behind undefeated league co-leaders Glenbard East and South Elgin who meet Saturday.

Jason Aubry said the coaching staff is treating this like a playoff week.

"We're not trying to build it up to put pressure on the kids," he said, "but we want them to understand what a playoff week looks like because none of these kids has ever been to the playoffs. They need to figure out what a playoff week feels like."