Wauconda runs away from Grayslake Central
Grayslake Central's football team halted host Wauconda's run of blanking opponents at the start the season at 14-plus quarters Friday night.
But Wauconda ran and ran.
And ran some more in a Northern Lake Country Conference matchup of 3-0 teams. The Bulldogs - behind 6 rushing touchdowns and a trio of 100-yard rushers - raced to a 49-14 victory on a muggy night.
Wauconda senior running back Colin Husko (8 carries, 132 yards, 2 TDs) made an immediate impact, needing only 3 rushes to gain 70 yards in the first drive. His first TD covered 33 yards, and he topped that with a 41-yard scoring gallop at 4:08 of the first quarter.
Bulldogs sophomore running back Connor Vanselow (15-168, 3 TDs) tallied the next 2 TDs for the hosts, finding the end zone after rushes of 66 and 7 yards. He added a 21-yard TD sprint in the third quarter.
Wauconda senior quarterback Vince Bennett finished with 123 rushing yards on only 7 totes, including gains of 26 and 34 yards at the end of the first half.
Wauconda (4-0, 2-0) led 28-0 at the half.
Wauconda finally allowed points when Rams senior quarterback Darryl Overstreet (16-of-29 passing, 200 yards, TD) hit senior running back Luca Maravola for a 20-yard score at 5:18 of the third quarter.
Coach Dave Mills' Bulldogs had blanked their first three foes this fall by a combined 131-0.
Husko, who moonlights on defense, also scored Friday night as a defensive back, returning an interception 99 yards for a TD as time expired in the third frame, stretching the lead to 41-6 before senior Austin Fink booted the sixth of his 7 extra points.
Bulldogs backup QB Jacob Norris found junior Clayton Glasby for a 12-yard TD to cap the victors' scoring.
GC (3-1, 1-1) got a 75-yard TD run from reserve RB Jordan Cleaves (6 carries, 96 yards) to complete the scoring at 5:09 of the final quarter.
Other defensive standouts for Wauconda Friday night included sophomore DB Brock Pfeiffer (INT), senior linebacker Nick Bennett (fumble recovery), senior DB Chase Watkins (2 pass breakups) and junior DB Jackson Ori (1 pass breakup).
Rams senior tight end Kurt Heerdegen snared 5 catches for a game-high 68 yards, and junior threat Kaiden Miller finished with 3 receptions for 65 yards. Rams junior RB Jeremiah Poyser ran the ball 22 times for 94 yards.