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Hersey dumps Buffalo Grove for 7th win

Hersey defensive lineman Trevor Schutz has been playing football with fellow senior Cole Vanstaalduinen for years.

"And now watching him go from junior varsity to a having a big role on varsity has been fun to see," Schutz said.

Never was it more fun than Friday night at Buffalo Grove when Vanstaalduinen enjoyed his first two-touchdown game.

The slot/wide receiver caught a 17-yard toss for the Huskies' first TD and then hauled in a 50-yard strike from Jordan Hansen for Hersey's penultimate TD in a 42-14 triumph at Grant Blaney Stadium.

The Huskies remained perfect at 7-0 and 3-0 in the Mid-Suburban East while Buffalo Grove stands at 3-4 and 1-2 after giving Hersey a scare all the way into the final quarter.

"I told Jeff (Vlk, Buffalo Grove coach) that was probably one of the toughest games we've had," said Hersey coach Joe Pardun. "To get a test like that at this point of the season, as hard as they (BG) played, is good for us. I'm glad we responded like we did in the second half and the fourth quarter."

After Hansen's 41-yard TD pass to Ben Clawson put Hersey ahead 14-0, BG cut it to 14-7 when Trystan Anderson recovered a fumble at the Hersey 23-yard line and Ayden Anderson raced into the end zone from 6 yards out four plays later.

Hersey came right back with a 61-yard scoring drive, capped by Hansen's 1-yard TD run that made it 21-14 at half.

BG's Max Oberman finished a 79-yard scoring when he dove over right tackle for a 1-yard TD that closed the deficit to 14-7 with 4:45 left in the third quarter.

However, Clawson seemed to elude tackle after tackle while returning the ensuing kickoff 74 yards to make it 28-14 and the Huskies went on to score 21 unanswered points.

Just one week earlier, Clawson returned the second-half kickoff for a go-ahead touchdown against Prospect.

"He's really picked us up like that," Pardun said of the sophomore. "He's been making those kind of plays."

"I felt we lost a little momentum after that kickoff return but the kids didn't quit," Vlk said. "I think in the past we might have but these kids didn't. I was really proud of them."

Oberman rushed for 113 yards behind linemen Joe Verdico, Michael Julian, Thomas Marienau, Victor Allen and Amar Bumanzul. Ayden Anderson caught 6 passes for 60 yards from QB Mark Antonetti.

"I think the score isn't really indicative of how we played," Vlk added. "I told our kids to just lay their hearts on the line and trust the process, and they did. We went in with a game plan to take Jordan (Hansen, who rushed fro 77 yards) out of the running game, and I believe we did that."

"There is a lot of grit in our kids and that's what I love about them."

With the protection of linemen Austin Korba, Matthew Mysza, Campbell Breiler, Tommy Cortese and Ryan Gudaitis, Hansen threw for 246 yards, including the 6 catches by Vanstaalduinen for 134 yards.

"It was a post corner out," he said of the 50-yard bomb. "That ball was thrown right on the money. Great job by my QB. We were ready for this. We practice hard every week and we like the cold."

"I was really happy to see that for Cole," said Sheets, a defensive lineman who had some big tackles in the second half."

Hersey's Alex Kaburov stripped the ball from a Bison late in the game and raced nearly 50 yards to the 3-yard line. After a penalty, Hansen raced in from 1 yard out for his second rushing TD of the game and 21st of the season (he has thrown 17).

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