Quick strikes put Jacobs over Grayslake Central
How efficient was Jacobs' offense Friday night? The Golden Eagles' 4 first-half scoring drives covered a grand total of 9 plays.
Josh Walker scored on two long plays and Jacobs' defense throttled Grayslake Central in a 42-6 Fox Valley Conference crossover in Algonquin.
Of course, it helped that Jacobs started one "drive" at the Grayslake Central 2-yard line. And it doesn't hurt to have a weapon like Walker, who is a threat to score from just about anywhere on the field.
The Eagles' first scoring drive started when Tony Bennett recovered a fumble at the Rams' 2. Two plays later Matt Barnes bulled in for the score. The Rams fumbled again on their next possession, and Brenden Heiss scooped it and scored.
Jacobs took over again at its own 48, and needed just 2 pass plays to score. The second one, from Chris Katrenick to Nick Gierlack, covered 24 yards and put the Eagles up 21-0.
From there, Walker took over. On the second play following a Grayslake Central punt, Walker took a screen pass from Katrenick and turned it into a 65-yard scoring play. He juked his way through the first two levels of defense, then outran the secondary.
When Jacobs (3-1) started its next drive at its own 2-yard line, it took a bit longer to score: 3 plays. Grayslake Central had perhaps its best play of the first half when Kevin Dunk's punt was downed just short of the goal line. But after an incomplete pass and a short run, Walker sprinted around the left side for a 95-yard touchdown, all but ending the game by halftime.
Heiss added an offensive touchdown in the second half, which kept the clock running for the final 18 minutes.
Grayslake Central (0-4) finally got on the board on a 3-yard run by quarterback Luke Shepherd in the fourth quarter.
Walker finished with 170 rushing yards on just 12 carries and added 63 receiving yards. Katrenick completed 5 of 7 for 128 yards, all in the first half. Gierlak had 3 of those receptions for 65 yards.
Cameron Schwartz led the Rams with 55 yards rushing but he could never find open lanes against the attacking Jacobs defense. Jacobs finished with a 378-109 yard edge.