It's a strong start for Vernon Hills
Vernon Hills has a different-looking schedule for this season thanks to its move into the Central Suburban League's North Division.
But their season opener was against an opponent they've seen plenty of over the last few years.
The Cougars were a little bit worried about facing the Rams before the game even started, but that didn't last long.
Vernon Hills jumped out with a first quarter lead and never looked back with a 39-16 victory over Grayslake Central in a nonconference game in Grayslake.
The Cougars played without starting quarterback Kyle Hull, who sat out as a team decision according to Vernon Hills coach Bill Bellecomo. Jack Himel started in his place, going 21-for-28 passing for 156 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Vernon Hills led 22-0 by halftime and 32-0 into the final quarter.
"That's what we wanted to do, to get that quick start," Bellecomo said. "It takes a lot of pressure off your defense and your offense. I thought the biggest thing when we had our backs against the wall, we had a nice drive and that happens when you have a nice bunch of seniors with good leadership. We ran our offense and took the ball down the field."
The Cougars scored twice in the opening quarter, off short fields
Trey Hommer scampered 47 yards for the opening score with 9:23 left. After a punt, Drew Winegardner scored on a 13-yard touchdown run with 6:34 left and a 2-point conversion made the score 15-0.
Vernon Hills put together an 18-play, 99-yard drive that started from their 1. Jonathan McGuire caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Himel with 2:46 for a 22-0 advantage.
Winegardner intercepted a couple of passes from the safety spot for the Cougars and he also scored a touchdown in the second half..
"I just caught a couple of lucky passes," Winegardner said. "I was in the right position, it was a couple of lucky bounces. We do have a lot of seniors and we've come together as a group and we're all tight knit. We just tough up front. Our defense will be tough to score on all year."
Winegarder scored on a 1-yard TD pass from Himel, Andre Szmyt kicked a 34-yard field goal and Max Lyle added a 2-yard run for a score in the second half.
Grayslake Central found some offense in the second half. Mikey Andrews (22 carries, 101 yards) rushed for a 11-yard TD and quarterback Sam Lennartz hit Michael Przybylski for a 26-yard pass reception for the other score in the fourth quarter.
"I saw a lot of positives out there," Grayslake Central coach Jason Schaal said. "Some things we have to work on. We've got 58 guys on our varsity roster, 47 of them getting their first varsity experience. Mikey Andrews did a great job and Sam (Lennartz) made some great throws. We had some penalties, but those are something we can fix. Proud of their efforts and didn't quit."