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Huntley puts up 59 in rout of De La Salle

While thousands of people were streaming out of Chicago on Friday afternoon, destined for various Labor Day weekend getaways, the Huntley football team was heading in the opposite direction.

The Red Raiders had work to do.

In a businesslike manner, the Huntley offense demoralized the De La Salle defense by scoring on 8 of its first 9 possessions and amassing 588 total yards, and the defense limited the dangerous Meteors to 197 total yards in a 59-28 nonconference win at Dan Ryan Field on the city's south side.

The only time Huntley (2-0) didn't score in its first nine possessions was a 3-play drive deep in its own territory as time expired in the first half.

"The offensive line played real well and the receivers went up and made some plays for us," said Huntley quarterback Anthony Binetti, who completed 17 of 27 attempts for 217 yards, 4 touchdowns and was intercepted once. "I thought we executed and got the job done."

Filling in for injured senior Casey Haayer (shoulder), junior running back Mike Ahmer carried the ball 24 times for 205 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown.

Ahmer returned to practice this week after missing three weeks due to a concussion.

"I felt great," he said. "New body. Concussion healed. Awesome."

Ahmer wasn't the only offensive standout on a night when Huntley totaled 334 yards on the ground. Sophomore Eric Mooney carried 7 times for 110 yards. He put on a speed demonstration with his 69-yard touchdown burst around the left end in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring.

Wide receiver Alec Coss was Binetti's prime target. The 5-foot-11 junior made 8 catches for 140 yards to lead a 254-yard aerial attack.

"All week we were watching film on them and, honestly, they looked a little weak so we tried to capitalize when we could," Coss said.

The Red Raiders took a 6-0 lead on Coss' 12-yard reception from Binetti with 9:27 left in the first quarter, though the conversion pass failed.

The defense chipped in moments later when De La Salle (0-2) sent a shotgun snap over quarterback Tom Duddleston's head. He recovered in the end zone but was sacked by Olalere Oladipo for a safety, giving Huntley an 8-0 lead.

A Jonathan Alberts field goal and short touchdown runs by Ahmers and Mooney staked the Raiders to a 25-0 lead with 11:34 left in the second quarter.

"Offensively, they were a handful," Meteors coach Mike Boehm said. "I think 59 points speaks for itself. I thought our kids battled and we played hard, but what are you going to do?"

De La Salle scored 3 touchdowns before halftime on throws from Duddleston to Pat Qualls, sophomore Joe Bonds and Eric Rooks, but the Red Raiders mitigated the damage with a touchdown run by Carter Beaudette and a short pass from Binetti to Chase Lowenstein to take a 38-21 lead at the break.

Huntley put the game out of reach by scoring on its first two drives of the second half. Binetti found Coss down the left sideline for a 33-yard score and then hit Lowenstein for another short touchdown, giving his team a 52-21 lead with 2:56 left in the third quarter.

Despite the offensive output, it was far from a perfect performance, according to Huntley coach John Hart.

"I love what we're capable of doing and I even love our effort," Hart said. "but we're still making more mistakes than we'd like for our team to be doing right now anyhow."

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