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Lakes lines up big win

Lakes running back Direll Clark is no fool. He knows it’s a good idea to keep his offensive linemen well fed, so he hosted his teammates for dinner on Thursday night.

Hopefully, there is still money left in the Clark household to pay the rest of the bills. Catering for the linemen is an expensive proposition.

“We had pasta, chicken and salad,” Clark said with a laugh. “We had a good time, watched the (Packers-Saints) game.”

The linemen were on their game Friday against Grant, opening up huge holes as the host Eagles soared to a 31-7 lead in the second quarter and coasted to a 38-14 victory in the North Suburban Prairie opener.

Clark rushed for 109 yards in the first half on 11 carries and Lakes might as well have driven a bulldozer onto the field, the holes were so big.

The Lakes line included Dillon Falotico (6-6, 291), Mike Forney (6-2, 270), Ty Summers (6-2, 275), Dan Pawlak (6-5, 265) and Isaac Soto (6-1, 230). Forney played for the first time this season.

“I think it gave us a huge boost,” Eagles coach Luke Mertens said. “Mike had a great week of practice. He was so excited to finally get to play. It added a lot of energy to the offense having him out there.”

In addition to the big push from the offensive line, Lakes (3-0, 1-0) had great field position in the first half. While opening the 31-7 lead, the Eagles’ worst starting spot was their own 46-yard line.

Clark started the scoring with a 14-yard touchdown run. After Lakes recovered a fumbled snap at the Grant 34-yard line, quarterback Chris Hoffman connected with Justin Bergeron on a wide receiver screen for a 29-yard score and the Eagles had a quick 14-0 advantage.

The Bulldogs (1-2, 0-1) countered with an 80-yard scoring drive, getting most of it on a 47-yard run by sophomore running back Jonathon Wells (16 carries, 97 yards).

But Lakes went right back to work with Clark carrying five times on a 7-play scoring drive. Then Clark’s 50-yard run set up a 1-yard plunge that sent the Eagles’ lead to 28-7.

“Our line did a great job in the first half controlling the line of scrimmage,” Mertens added. “They have a phenomenal defensive line, so we were very nervous about going against that front. I was definitely proud of our guys. We told them they were going to make or break the game.”

For Grant, it was a second-straight disappointing result. After opening with a big win over Johnsburg, the Bulldogs fell way behind early in mistake-filled losses to Grayslake Central and now Lakes.

“We went from being what I thought was a good football team, to a real bad football team in a real hurry,” Grant coach Kurt Rous said.

“Their kids were physical. They took it to us on both sides of the ball from start to finish. Our kids are not physical. Something’s got to change or it’s going to be a long road for us.”

Images: Grant vs. Lakes football

  Lakes’ Drew Recker, left, and Grant’s Jonathon Wells collide as Grant’s Jerry Gaylor looks on during their game Friday night in Lake Villa. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Lakes’ A.J. Goggin, left, tries to get past Grant’s Max Bailes during their game Friday night in Lake Villa. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Lakes’ Direll Clark plows over Grant’s Kai Moore, left, and Nick Fanella to get into the end zone Friday night in Lake Villa. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Lakes’ fans cheer on their team during their game against Grant Friday night in Lake Villa. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Lakes’ Direll Clark, right, gets a pat on the head from teammate John Gomulka after Clark scored in the first half against Grant on Friday night in Lake Villa. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Lakes’ Justin Bergeron, right, goes up for a pass in the end zone as Grant’s Max Bailes is called for interference. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com