Huba, Lisle cruise past Dwight

Everything was clicking Friday night for Lisle, and they put on an offensive show for a Homecoming crowd at Benedictine University.

The Lions’ motion offense had Dwight off balance all night resulting in a 41-13 victory for Lisle against their Interstate Eight Conference rival.

Lisle spread the ball around to their playmakers, getting touchdowns from five players. Quarterback Griffin Huba could do no wrong, throwing for two touchdowns and running in two more, including a 60-yard dash on an option keeper. Dwight’s defensive line struggled with the option and motion formations the Lions showed them, keeping the front seven off balance and getting them to jump offsides three times.

“We have been doing a really good job of inside-out running,” Lisle coach Dan Sanko said. “We got some good edge people and we have blocking on the edge. When they start going there we’ve been able to run our option inside and power inside.”

The offensive success spilled onto the defensive side for the Lions as well, holding the Trojans to only 155 total yards and forcing two turnovers.

Sanko said his defense looked more aggressive than it had before and was getting good reads allowing the linebackers to make plays around the line of scrimmage.

The game was put out of reach after back-to-back Trojans drives ended in turnovers, first a fumble recovered by Kevin Coppin, then an interception from Andy Simpson. The fumble led to a Huba pass to Cliff Krause for a touchdown, and the interception all but ended the first half for Dwight.

Seniors Huba and Krause said Friday’s game felt a little extra special, and getting a win on their final Homecoming game was important to them. Krause, who caught a touchdown and ran another in, credited his offensive line for the high point total. He said the line was able to give the offense a chance to let the play develop for big plays.

The conference win pushes the Lions over the .500 mark for the season both in the Interstate Eight and overall. As the players have gotten healthier, Sanko said the team is starting to click.

“They came out and played. It’s a good team win, a good Homecoming win,” Sanko said.