Jacobs parties like it’s 1979
The 34-year drought is over.
Jacobs scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and held off a second-half rally by Huntley to clinch a share of its first conference or division title in the Fox Valley since 1979 with a 27-20 road win Friday night.
“Obviously, I wasn’t alive then, but for the school and the community this is awesome,” Jacobs senior quarterback Bret Mooney said. “Everyone is ecstatic.”
Jacobs (6-2, 5-0 FVC Valley) won its sixth straight game, thanks to a balanced offense that gained 345 yards and an opportunistic defense that held the Red Raiders scoreless for a half and came up with 3 second-half turnovers.
The loss dropped Huntley to 4-4 overall, 2-3 in the FVC Valley. The Red Raiders must win next week at Crystal Lake South to become playoff eligible for the second straight season.
“We know what we’ve got to do,” Huntley senior safety Mike Andrews said. “We’re going to learn a lot from these mistakes. We’re a team and we’re going to have each other’s backs. No matter what.”
Huntley drew within a touchdown with 3:05 left. Quarterback Blake Jacobs hit Brandon Altergott on a curl, which the receiver turned into a 58-yard score. Donnie Young added the extra point.
Huntley kicked away and Jacobs took possession at its own 34. The Golden Eagles ran 6 plays to run out the clock, picking up first downs on a 14-yard Hunter Williams reception and an 8-yard Walker burst.
“We were hot in the first half and in the second half we kind of fizzled a little bit, but it’s great to get the victory” said Jacobs coach Bill Mitz, whose staff delivered a division title in its fourth season at the Algonquin school.
The Jacobs offense took it to Huntley from the start. The Golden Eagles drove 65 yards in 10 plays on their first possession, which Josh Walker capped with a 2-yard run. It was just the start of a big night for the junior running back, who gained 145 yards on 28 carries.
Jacobs moved 61 yards in 6 plays on its second possession, which culminated in a 15-yard touchdown run by Mooney.
The third drive for the Golden Eagles? More of the same. They moved 49 yards in 12 plays, highlighted by a 24-yard pass from Mooney to Walker on fourth-and-19 from the Huntley 30-yard line. Mooney’s 1-yard sneak on third-and-goal gave Jacobs a 20-0 lead with 8:38 left in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, the Red Raiders had trouble getting started offensively. Their first two possessions went three-and-out. Their next two possessions ended with turnovers on downs inside the Jacobs 10-yard line. One drive ended due to a dropped pass in the end zone, the other ended when the ball went off the fingertips of an open receiver, also in the end zone.
“That’s tough,” said Jacobs, who threw for 331 yards and 2 touchdowns. “We had 2 dropped balls, but that’s my fault and the receivers’ fault.”
Huntley made it interesting in the second half. Blake Jacobs spotted receiver MacKian Stephens behind the secondary for a 58-yard touchdown on the first play of the third quarter, but a missed extra point left the deficit at 20-6.
“They were biting on the hitches a lot, so we thought we could throw it past them and beat them deep,” Stephens said.
Jacobs answered with a 49-yard scoring strike from Mooney to Williams. Ryan Sargent’s extra point staked the Golden Eagles to a 27-6 lead with 3:57 left in the third quarter.
“We came up with that play at halftime,” Williams said. “First time we had a guy wide open across the field. The second time I just beat him deep. Bret and I obviously have a good connection. It was a perfect throw over the shoulder.”
Huntley answered 62 seconds later with a 60-yard touchdown run by Jacobs, who scrambled out of trouble and sprinted down the left sideline.
The Red Raiders were thwarted by turnovers. Blake Jacobs was intercepted inside the 5-yard line by Cody Ferencz with 11:17 left in the game. Huntley fumbled on its next possession, and Jacobs senior Mark Mamola recovered near midfield with 9:33 to play. Senior linebacker Greg McLeod also recovered a Huntley fumble in the third quarter.
“The kids did a great job on defense,” Mitz said. “We really played well.”
Mooney completed 13 of 20 attempts for 215 yards. Williams finished with 5 receptions for 109 yards.
Blake Jacobs threw for 331 yards and 2 touchdowns and ran for 94 yards to lead Huntley. Altergott finished with 4 catches for 122 yards.