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Hersey thinks big, drives past Buffalo Grove

Hersey’s first drive of the second quarter is where Friday’s Mid-Suburban East contest between the visiting Huskies and Buffalo Grove really broke open.

Starting at his own 4-yard line, it took just 3 plays for Hersey quarterback Quinn Orlandi to take his team down the field for a touchdown. There was a 1-yard rush by Orlandi, a 23-yard pass from Orlandi to receiver David Jackowski (with a 15-yard penalty tacked on), and then a 57-yard touchdown pass from Orlandi to receiver Ed Miklasz.

That made it 23-0, and Hersey rolled from there to a 44-0 victory.

“That was pretty cool,” Hersey coach Dragan Teonic said. “Quinn did a nice job of hitting the receiver across the middle for a big gain. We always knew there was a chance of a personal foul, and he ended up getting a roughing the passer. It gave us a 15-yard momentum boost, and then we were able to get some yardage after that.”

Orlandi and Miklasz were in rhythm all game. Orlandi completed 16-of-20 passes for 226 yards and 4 touchdowns. Miklasz was on the receiving end of 9 of those passes for 139 yards and 3 touchdowns.

“He’s an awesome athlete,” Orlandi said of Miklasz. “He’s my go-to guy. He catches everything.”

Orlandi credited his offensive line for providing stellar protection throughout the game, specifically center Bobby Jacks.

Teonic said Hersey’s (3-3, 2-0) defense and special teams were the foundation for the Huskies’ success against the Bison. Only 4 of Hersey’s 10 offensive possessions began in its own territory. Two of those came in the fourth quarter.

“It’s exactly what we are looking for,” middle linebacker Matt Korff said of providing the Hersey offense with short fields. “We believe in them. As soon as we get the ball back, that’s what we want them to do. Coming out and in the first three possessions them not getting a first down was huge.”

The Hersey defense held Buffalo Grove (1-5, 0-2) to 104 yards of offense.

“Our guys are positive guys,” Buffalo Grove Mike Di Matteo said. “They know they are in it to the end. Every week is a new week. That’s a cliché answer, but it’s the truth. It’s what you do. That’s how these guys are approaching the year anyway, as hard as it’s been. That’s what we are going to do.”

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