Patiently, Lakes is a winner
There was no reason for Lakes to panic just a couple of games into the football season.
Despite a pair of previous losses, the Eagles reverted to form in Week 3 of the high school football season and played the kind of game they expected of themselves all along.
Lakes showed its strength and composure with a 31-14 victory over visiting Grayslake North in the opening game of the new Northern Lake County Conference.
Eagles quarterback Brandon Kahn led the way with a nearly perfect passing night, going 8-for-9 for 153 yards with 2 passing TDs and one on the ground.
"I thought we played our heart after starting out 0-2," Kahn said. "Our focus this week has been to come out and play our best football. This games means a lot, like the next one, knowing that we've got to get to six wins. I thought we came out with a pretty good effort.
"Prior to the game, coach Mertens gave us a speech - 'We want to be known for who we are and not what we can do.' I thought we came out here and showed excellent character and kept our composure."
Grayslake North (2-1, 0-1) had senior running back Dami Oladunmoye back in the lineup after missing the first two games from an off-season injury. He scored a touchdown and carried the ball 26 times for 144 yards.
The Knights opened the game with a long drive but hurt themselves with number of penalties, seeing one drive stall at the Eagles 29. Grayslake North ended up with 14 penalties for 114 yards.
"We knew (Lakes) was good, what happened to us was the same thing that happened to Lakes last week," Lakes coach Steve Wood said. "It snowballed and we couldn't stop it, and we're not that bad. I knew it would be a great game. They've got a good coach and kids. We didn't play that well and they had something to do with that.
"We had six penalties all year and we had four on that drive. That's just not what we are. It was a rivalry game."
Lakes responded quickly on a 3-play, 71 yard drive. Hahn hooked up with De Angelo Hardy for a 60-yard touchdown pass for 7-0 lead with 4:12 left in the opening quarter.
The Knights tied the game up at 7-7 with 11:20 left in the second quarter. Oladunmoye broke free on a 31-yard scamper into the end zone.
Lakes added 10 points before the half. First, Hardy scored from the 3 on a rushing touchdown with 8:21 remaining, and then Jake Keenen hit a 23-yard field goal with 3.7 seconds left for a 17-7 lead.
The Eagles added two more touchdowns in the second half. Cameron Ruiz caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Kahn, who followed up with a 16-yard rushing touchdown that extended the lead to 31-7.
Grayslake North added a late touchdown as Griffen Gawenda scored from a yard out.
"I thought our kids did a great job of responding," Mertens said. "We got an important win and now we've got to get another next week.
"I don't think the average person realizes how much momentum plays a factor in games. Even if you lose by 3 touchdowns, it comes down to one play that swings the momentum. That was a huge play for us (stopping Grayslake North in the first quarter). We did the most important thing to keep them out of the end zone."