Huntley firing on all cylinders entering postseason
Needing to take home the victory to secure a home playoff game and tie a school record for regular-season wins, Huntley eventually found its offensive groove.
Scoring on every possession except for their first, the Red Raiders cruised to an easy 59-14 senior night victory over Dundee-Crown Friday night in Fox Valley Conference Valley Division action.
After trading punts to open the game and working with a short field after a botched second punt by the Chargers, Huntley (8-1, 4-1) found its run game with Casey Haayer and Eric Mooney. Mooney ran for 46 of his eventual 76 yards on that drive, scoring on a 21-yard run for the first points of the game.
It would be Haayer's turn on the next drive after forcing another punt. Haayer would only run for 28 yards on the drive but a 20-yarder capped the drive and gave Huntley a 14-0 lead early in the second half.
"Casey is very much of a vertical runner, and Mooney just has a little bit more speed even as a freshman," Red Raiders' coach John Hart said. "It's a great combo to have, and I think it works even better thanks to (fullback Jacob) Witt."
The running game alone came up with 356 yards and 5 touchdowns, with 11 different backs carrying the ball at least once, but no one for the Raiders had more than Mooney in either category, adding his second TD after the Chargers would close the gap to 14-6 with a score of their own.
Jimmy Ambrose and Jason Cunningham would both add scores from the ground while receivers Kyle Kesul and Eric Nehslen would add another pair of touchdown catches from quarterback Anthony Binetti, who finished with 169 yards passing, and Charles Mecozzi respectively.
Dundee-Crown's (2-7, 0-5) Malik Dunner broke free of two would-be tacklers and sprinted away for a huge 68-yard run that looked to change the momentum of the game until Mooney answered with his second score.
Dunner and running back partner Caleb Parsons were two bright spots for the Chargers. Only throwing for 40 yards all night, Dunner and Parsons gathered 171 yards between them alone. Parsons would find the end zone after the game was almost out of hand at the end of the third quarter to give each a score as well.
Despite D-C being led by a large junior class, both Dunner and Parsons are seniors who have suited up for the last time as a Charger.
"This was really the first week that they have both been healthy at the same time," Chargers' coach Mike Steinhaus said about his running back tandem. "We could do some things with them and it was nice to have them and we're going to miss them. Now it's time for the next guys to step up."