Lakes takes another victory

As the old saying goes in football, “Take what they give you.”

That was the motto of the Lakes' offense Friday night as the Eagles visited Round Lake in this North Suburban Prairie Division game.

Unlike weeks past when Lakes used more running than passing, the Eagles chose to go mainly to their air attack as they built a commanding 45-0 halftime lead before rolling to a 52-0 victory.

The combination of junior quarterback Jordan Mercure and senior wide receiver Jacob Balliu really shined as Balliu caught TD passes of 62, 30, and 16 yards with extra points by Cody Brumm staking Lakes to a quick 21-0 lead just 6:21 into the contest.

Then after the Panthers (2-5, 1-3) turned the ball over on a lost fumble, Mercure (10-for-17, 225 yards, 5 TD's) found senior teammate Colton Jewell just over the end-zone line for a commanding 28-0 lead with 2:01 remaining in the first quarter.

But the Mercure-to-Balliu magic was not over yet as Mercure hit Balliu for a fourth TD on a 21-yard pass deep into the right corner of the end zone for a 35-0 lead just before the first quarter ended.

The win clinches a sixth straight trip to the IHSA playoffs for Class 6A squad Lakes (6-1, 4-0).

“They definitely were pretty determined to take away our run and we have to go to the air when our running game is not there,” said Lakes coach Luke Mertens. “Our focus from this point on is all about the state playoffs and getting guys as healthy as can be for two weeks from now.”

Not only are the Eagles still playing without standout running back Devyn Cedzidlo, they also did not have the services of injured running back Izayah James, who'd rushed for 111 yards last weekend.

A 33-yard field goal by Brumm boosted the lead to 38-0 with 4:54 left in the first half.

Then the Eagles found the end zone one more time before the intermission as Lucas Kuzmanovich scored on a 5-yard run going left as the entire second half was played with a running clock.

“They're a good team, they have a good running game and a good passing game and he (Balliu) is hard to cover because he's so fast,” said Round Lake coach Jordan Eder. “We played hard, but we just couldn't get them off the field on third down in the first quarter.”

Balliu (7 receptions for 172 yards) caught TD passes each of the first three times he touched the ball as Round Lake's defensive backfield was having fits trying to cover him in his one half of action.

Balliu was pretty happy with the outcome of the game and reaching the playoffs again. But he knows the Eagles will have to continue to improve as the post-season approaches.

“It started with our coach's play calling tonight, and Jordan Mercure throwing the ball in my hands and we just kept it going,” said Balliu. “We've been setting the tone on offense, but no one is perfect and offensively we just have to keep getting better.”

With numerous reserves playing in the second half, the Eagles got on the scoreboard one more time as senior quarterback Ethan Sage hit Nicholas Hough with a 2-yard TD pass after Tyler Keilwitz had hauled in a 20-yard catch two plays earlier.

Round Lake had a handful of big plays and eight first downs in the contest. But overall the Panthers' offense was contained by the aggressive Lakes defense.

Starting quarterback Ron Steadman was 4-for-8 for 33 yards in the first half before senior teammate Cole Steger was 4-for-6 for 31 yards in the second half in his first game back from injury.

Mertens could not say enough about the great job his offensive line has done for the variety of different running backs the Eagles have shuffled in and out of the lineup in recent weeks.

“Our offensive linemen have done everything we have asked them to do and they are the heart and soul of our offense,” said Mertens. “It was nice to see what Jordan (Mercure) was able to do with the ball because that is going to be important two weeks from now.”

Sophomore Noah Castillo led Round Lake with 30 yards rushing on 5 carries while Kuzmanovich led the Eagles with 35 yards on 7 attempts.

Sage was 3-for-5 passing for 49 yards while Mercure carried the ball 3 times for 30 yards.