St. Charles North's Joey Curzon is caught by Lake Zurich's Nicholas Alvey in a football game in Lake Zurich Friday.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Host Lake Zurich and St. Charles North entered a football clash Friday night with a couple of things in common.
Each had defeated a Palatine-based school in Week 1 last weekend. LZ beat Fremd, and St. Charles North blanked Palatine.
But St. Charles North separated itself impressively on Mel Eide Field after the teams did not score in the first quarter. The visitors skipped to a 24-0 victory behind junior running back Drew Surges' churning legs and toughness and an inspired defense.
If that final score looks familiar, it should. St. Charles North recorded the same result in its defeat of Palatine last Friday night.
"Be relentless! Be relentless!" SCN coach Rob Pomazak barked at his offense in the middle of the North Stars' second third-quarter drive. Freshman quarterback Ethan Plumb then hit senior Carson Kuligowski for a 13-yard completion, highlighting a trip capped by sophomore Hunter Liszka's 42-yard field goal to up the lead to 17-0.
Plumb and Kuligowski had connected for a 46-yard touchdown to open the scoring at 7:32 of the second frame. Kuligowski (4 receptions, 77 yards) snared a dart from Plumb (7-of-11, 100 yards, TD) near the LZ's 20-yard line and sprinted to the end zone.
Surges, a force at safety as well, finished with 19 carries for 121 yards, including a 10-yard TD run late in the second quarter. Junior running back John Vendl (5 carries, 73 yards) tallied the final TD via a 35-yard run at 4:14 of the fourth.
North Stars senior linebacker Kyle Nord was seemingly everywhere, and senior defensive lineman Austin Griffeth sacked LZ senior quarterback Jarred Meyers (8-of-21, 57 yards passing; 43 yards rushing on 13 carries) in the Bears' penultimate drive.
Junior defensive back Nathan Carpenter came down with an interception with a little more than a minute remaining for St. Charles North (2-0).
St. Charles North's Carson Kuligowski outruns Lake Zurich's Spencer Kuehl for a touchdown in the second quarter of a football game in Lake Zurich Friday, September 3, 2021.
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St. Charles North's Drew Surges runs through a hole in the line of scrimmage against Lake Zurich for a second-quarter touchdown in a football game in Lake Zurich Friday, September 3, 2021.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
St. Charles North's Drew Surges runs against Lake Zurich's Tyler Erkman in a football game in Lake Zurich Friday, September 3, 2021.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
St. Charles North quarterback Ethan Plumb shuttle passes the ball to Brody Geary in a football game against Lake Zurich in Lake Zurich Friday, September 3, 2021.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Lake Zurich's Jarred Meyers runs against St. Charles North in a football game in Lake Zurich Friday, September 3, 2021.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
St. Charles North's Drew Surges tries to escape the reach of Lake Zurich's Nicholas Alvey in a football game in Lake Zurich Friday, September 3, 2021.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Lake Zurich's Grant Harrison and Tyler Erkman, right, tackle St. Charles North's Carson Kuligowski in a football game in Lake Zurich Friday, September 3, 2021.
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Lake Zurich's Ben Cooper is hit by St. Charles North's Lucas Sharkey in a football game in Lake Zurich Friday, September 3, 2021.
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St. Charles North's George Litgen forces and incomplete pass to Lake Zurich's Jack Hartman in a football game in Lake Zurich Friday, September 3, 2021.
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Lake Zurich's Spencer Kuehl forces St. Charles North's John Vendl out-of-bounds in a football game in Lake Zurich Friday, September 3, 2021.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
St. Charles North's Hunter Liszka punts the ball from deep in the North Stars territory in the first quarter in a football game in Lake Zurich Friday, September 3, 2021.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com