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Pennington, Cary-Grove knock off Benet

Cary-Grove junior Tyler Pennington turned into a one-man wrecking crew in Saturday afternoon's Class 7A second-round home playoff game against Benet.

The versatile fullback/linebacker rushed for 151 yards and 3 touchdowns on offense, then racked up 3 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on the defensive side to lift the Trojans to a 35-17 victory over the Redwings.

Cary-Grove (10-1) will travel to Batavia (10-1) in what promises to be a sensational quarterfinal matchup.

"You'll do anything to play one more week and that's all you're working for," Pennington said. "It's physical and it's very hard, but it's what I have to do to help us win."

"I don't know how Tyler finds the energy," said Trojans' coach Brad Seaburg. "He's just a competitor, he's tough, he's dependable and he doesn't want to come off the field. "

"He's a great player," said Benet coach Pat New. "I just found out that I played college football at Northwestern with his dad. I was joking with him. I said, 'tell your dad you're a lot better player than he was.'"

The Trojans had a strong wind at their back to open the game, and it paid immediate dividends as they broke out to a 14-0 lead in less than four minutes.

Benet (8-3) went three-and-out on its opening series, then shanked a 10-yard punt. Cary-Grove senior Kevin Hughes celebrated his birthday in style with a 42-yard scamper around the left side for a score on the Trojans' first play.

"It was a great way to start the game. Get out ahead and get that enthusiasm going," Hughes said.

A subsequent Benet fumble set up Cary-Grove again at the Redwings' 25. Pennington carried four straight times down to the 1, where junior quarterback Bobby Collins punched it in on a keeper.

"Our first two series were just terrible and we put our defense in a bind," New said. "They do a great job with execution and you have to play almost a perfect game to beat those guys."

Benet got its running game going when junior Alec McEachern churned out 45 yards on a solid drive. However, Jordan Laktas came up with a key sack for Cary-Grove and the Redwings settled for a 29-yard field goal from Ryley Guay.

Cary-Grove, the smallest school in Class 7A, responded with an 86-yard touchdown drive that featured a pair of fourth down conversions.

Collins completed his first pass of the game for 14 yards to Ryan Magel on fourth-and-4 from the Redwings' 19. Pennington scored on the following play.

After Erik Norberg recovered a fumble for Cary-Grove at the Redwings' 26, Pennington scored again from 13 yards out for a 28-3 halftime lead.

The tide turned in the third quarter as Benet used the wind to its advantage.

Will O'Grady hauled in a 22-yard slant from Jack Sznajder to set up McEachern's 1-yard touchdown run.

McEachern recovered a Pennington fumble and Sznajder went 5-for-5 passing for 65 yards before the fourth quarter started. McEachern scored on a 1-yard plunge with 9:56 left to narrow the gap to 28-17.

Cary-Grove had the answer as Collins dropped in a perfect 43-yard play-action pass to Jimmy Freskos. Magel added a 12-yard run to set up Pennington's game-clinching touchdown with 7:37 left.

"I thought we had a shot. We had some momentum going and then to their credit, they play to win and that pass play was a great call," New said.

"That pass was big," Seaburg said. "Bobby threw the ball real well and Jimmy made a nice catch and I think that kind of broke their will."

The Trojans gained 336 yards on the ground behind their outstanding offensive line with Hughes gaining 71 yards and Magel adding 47.

"They work so hard to open up the holes," Hughes said. "It's their work up front and we're just following their path."

McEachern finished with 92 yards on 18 carries for Benet. Sznajder threw for 176 yards with Michael Challenger catching 4 passes for 61 yards.

Images: Cary-Grove vs. Benet football

Cary-Grove's Kevin Hughes celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter of Saturday's Class 7A playoff game against Benet in Cary. Shaw Media / Sarah Nader
Cary-Grove's Ryan Magel runs the ball during the second quarter of Saturday's Class 7A playoff game Saturday in Cary. Cary-Grove defeated Benet 35-17 and will play in the 7A quarterfinal at Batavia next week. Shaw Media / Sarah Nader
Cary-Grove's Zachary Underwood (left) tackles Benet's Charlie Weidenbach during the first quarter of Saturday's Class 7A playoff game in Cary. Cary-Grove defeated Benet, 35-17 and will play in the 7A quarterfinal at Batavia next week. Shaw Media / Sarah Nader
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