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Gonzalez' pick, kick lift Antioch

Victory was sealed with a kick, and then a pick.

And both came at the hands (well, technically one was via the foot) of George Gonzalez.

The Antioch senior did a little bit of everything Friday night, and it was just enough. He kicked a 22-yard field goal with 1:41 remaining to give the host Sequoits a 10-7 lead over North Suburban Conference Prairie Division nemesis Vernon Hills.

With the Cougars frantically trying to rally and score in the final moments, Gonzalez, also a defensive back, then picked off a third-down pass by Vernon Hills quarterback Steve Nelson with 52.7 seconds remaining. That iced the win for the Sequoits.

“I was a little nervous about that field goal because there was some pressure there,” said Gonzalez, who is 8-of-11 on field goals this season with a long of 35 yards. “But I stay after every practice with Coach (Chris) Van Alstine. We work really hard on kicking. He helps me a lot.”

Van Alstine also helped Gonzalez leave the field in style after his interception.

Gonzalez charged from the field and leapt into Van Alstine's arms, and Van Alstine joyously carried Gonzalez a few feet over to the sideline.

The victory, after all, was worth getting carried-off-the-field excited about.

“To beat a team like Vernon Hills is big for us,” Antioch coach Brian Glashagel said. “I mean, if you want to win (the division championship), you've got to go through Vernon Hills.”

Vernon Hills is the two-time defending Prairie Division champion and had won 15 straight division games before facing off against Antioch.

Ironically, the last team to beat Vernon Hills in division play was Antioch in 2008. That season, the Sequoits went to the state semifinals.

Antioch, which stays perfect at 4-0 (1-0 Prairie), is already dreaming of another such playoff run.

“This (win) is really big for us,” Gonzalez said. “It gives us a lot of momentum and confidence as we get ready to face the rest of the teams in our conference.

“Usually, it's (Vernon Hills) or us that wins the conference. We've always been battling since freshman year.

“Sophomore year, the score of our game with (Vernon Hills) was actually 2-0. We beat them with a safety. It's always been a tight game.”

There wasn't much wiggle room in Friday's game thanks to both defenses, which were as stingy as can be.

Both Vernon Hills (2-2, 1-1 Prairie) and Antioch are explosive running teams that can roll up the yards with their tricky option offenses. But Vernon Hills finished with just 86 rushing yards. Antioch had 223 rushing yards but most of them came out of the sheer determination of fullback Danny Arden.

Arden finished with 126 yards on 24 carries and also scored Antioch's only touchdown on a 1-yard run early in the second quarter. Even that was difficult to get. Vernon Hills wasn't budging and it took the Sequoits four attempts to punch the ball in from a yard out.

“(Vernon Hills) was really tough on defense,” Arden said. “They were hitting me every play and tackling me even when I didn't have the ball. It was really tough to be the fullback today.”

With its own rushing game having a tough time, the Cougars took to the air and scored on a 33-yard halfback option pass from MJ Crowley to Jarrett Wood about four minutes after Antioch scored.

That made the halftime score 7-7.

“They had a great defense,” Wood said of Antioch. “(The touchdown pass) was a gimmick play. We hadn't completed it once in practice but. in the game, it was wide open and MJ threw a great ball to give me a chance to score.

“Nothing else was working. We knew we needed a big play, something that would catch them off guard.”

Images: Vernon Hills vs. Antioch football

  AntiochÂ’s Danny Arden is pulled down by a Vernon Hills defender at Antioch on Friday. George Leclaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
  Vernon Hills defender Sam Maloof drags down Antioch quarterback Josh Anttila. George Leclaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
  Antioch quarterback Josh Anttila pitches the ball out against Vernon Hills at Antioch on Friday. George Leclaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
  Vernon Hills quarterback Steve Nelson looks to hand the ball off at Antioch on Friday. George Leclaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
  Vernon Hills defender Sam Maloof drags down Antioch quarterback Josh Anttila at Antioch on Friday. George Leclaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
  Antioch quarterback Josh Anttila tries to shed a Vernon Hills tackler at Antioch on Friday. George Leclaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com