Cary-Grove puts up 68 in rout of Grayslake North
The Fox Valley Conference football crossover between Cary-Grove and Grayslake North was still up in the proverbial air with less than two minutes to play in the first half Friday night.
Grayslake North had a chance to cut into a 15-point deficit when running back Dami Oladunmoye took a handoff and attempted to leap for the yard his team needed on fourth down from the Cary 39. Sophomore linebacker Max Skol came flying in to cause a midair collision in an effort to prevent the first down.
The officials called for a measurement that saw the Knights come up about a half-yard short. The Trojans went on to score 29.3 seconds before halftime on their way to a 68-12 victory at Al Bohrer Field in Cary.
"Max's stop was huge," said Cary-Grove coach Brad Seaburg. "He's a very good football player."
Skol also blocked a punt to set up the first touchdown and had a 42-yard touchdown run on his only carry as the Trojans (3-0), who are ranked No. 3 in Class 6A Associated Press, rolled up 453 of their 556 total yards on the ground. They scored on 10 of 12 possessions for their highest point total since they beat Grayslake North 68-0 in 2006.
"I feel like we have a deep lineup and everyone can really help us out," Skol said. "Offensively we really came together and played a lot better."
Workhorse Tyler Pennington rushed for 120 yards and 3 touchdowns on 20 carries. Ryan Magel (7 carries, 123 yards) and Kevin Gleeson (2 carries, 100 yards) each had 73-yard touchdown runs and Oscar Rivera went 42 yards into the end zone with a reverse after Skol's big stop.
Quarterback J.P. Sullivan completed 2 of 3 passes for 44 yards and 10-yard TD to Jimmy Freskos and backup Bobby Collins tossed a 43-yard TD to Gleeson. Kicker Collin Walsh also had enough legs left to run for a 7-yard fourth-quarter score.
"Today we were able to really show what we can do and we're very happy with that," said Cary-Grove senior left tackle Owen Henriques. "We executed what we wanted to execute."
And it all started with Henriques, the lone returning starter up front, and the new crew of Dan Montemurro, Colton Ruhland, Zach Cohen and Ross Bernier, along with tight ends Erik Norberg and Freskos.
"We really came together through the summer," Henriques said after Cary-Grove averaged nearly 13 yards a play Friday.
"The more experience they get up front the more familiar they will be with each other and they're going to play better," Seaburg said. "We hope that our improvement is exponential."
Grayslake North (2-1) got within 14-6 on a 33-yard touchdown run by Joseph Geary. But the opportunity to score again before halftime was stuffed by Skol.
"I sensed what they were going to do on that play and my D-line really helped," Skol said of Norberg, Nick Cruz and Alex Prendergast. "They created the play to let me do that."
The Knights got their other touchdown with 1:15 left in the third when junior backup quarterback Hunter Ambre found Matthew Aikin on a 50-yard pass.
"We just didn't play well and they're just at a different level," said North coach Steve Wood of the first of three games against teams of similar styles in Cary-Grove, Prairie Ridge and Woodstock North. "It's probably good to have the best team first because that's only going to help us moving forward.
"In the big picture this made us better. Whether we lose by 1 point or lose by 60 points, it's still a loss."