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CL Central holds off Huntley

Huntley’s Jake Brock felt pretty good at halftime.

Despite trailing Crystal Lake Central 14-6, the junior quarterback knew the Red Raiders would get the ball — and hopefully the momentum — to start the second half.

But after taking the ball and ripping off three-straight first downs Huntley’s offense stalled.

The Tigers scored twice in the second half to secure a 28-6 Fox Valley Conference crossover in Huntley.

“We were right with them at halftime,” said Brock, who rushed for 48 yards on 11 carries. “We hit a wall and couldn’t convert on fourth down.”

Huntley set up first-and-10 on the Tigers’ 31-yard line after amassing 37 yards on its first 3 plays of the second half. The Red Raiders (0-1) were then unable to convert a fourth-and-6, as Brock managed a 5-yard run.

The Tigers (1-0) used the turnover on downs to set up a 1-yard touchdown run from Connor Hines with 4:34 left in the third quarter. Tanner Fehring converted the extra point to put Central up 21-6.

Huntley’s defensive focus targeted speedy tailback Gage Harrah. The Red Raiders were able to contain Harrah for much of the first half in terms of yardage, but he did pound the ball in the end zone twice.

The senior scored the game’s initial touchdown after a Huntley fumble set up a first-and-goal for Central at the Huntley 10. The 10-yard scoring run came with 3:56 left in the first quarter.

“That was a tough play, it set them right up for the score,” Huntley coach Matt Gehrig said. “Our guys played hard. We’re going to take this and use it to improve on a couple of things with the plays we run on offense.”

Huntley cut the game to 7-6 when John Walker ran a reverse 4 yards for a touchdown with 7:58 left in the first half. Opting to go for 2 points, the pass failed on the conversion.

Central responded on its next drive, with Harrah capping off a 9-play, 76-yard drive by pounding in a 1-yard run.

Harrah (84 yards, 21 carries) added his third touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, a 3-yard run with 9:26 left to play. Fehring extended the Tigers’ lead to 28-6 with a point after.