Late TD lifts Grant past North Chicago
Grant's defense gave up a few big plays on Friday at North Chicago, but it also made some important plays.
The biggest was an interception by senior Kalin Baker, which set up the Bulldogs at North Chicago's 20-yard line with two minutes left in a tie game. Three plays later, Drew Walker ran wide left for a 12-yard touchdown run with 36.8 seconds on the clock, giving Grant a narrow 21-14 victory in Northern Lake County Conference action.
"It was the perfect play. It was there at the right time," Baker said. "I caught the ball, slipped, but a team win. He was eyeing the middle play, I slipped over to it a little bit, the ball was right there."
North Chicago (2-4, 1-3) didn't move the ball very well most of the night, but scored on two long pass plays. In the first half, Josiah Bouie caught a short pass from junior quarterback Dyshawn Gales, slipped a tackle and broke free for a 91-yard touchdown.
The Warhawks tied it in the third quarter when junior Ishuan Walker caught a short pass in the flat from Gales and sprinted for a 52-yard score. A 2-point run by Garett Turner tied the score at 14-14 with 2:04 left in the third quarter.
"Again, we give up big plays," Grant coach Vito Andriola said. "We gave up two big plays. Otherwise, it's a real good game. It's just like Lakes (a 14-7 loss) last week. Great programs don't do that. My teams don't do that, but we do."
There were times when Grant's defense made big plays and the offense couldn't take advantage. On North Chicago's first possession of the game, linebacker Bryan Bajerski recovered a fumble and Grant drove to a first down at the 7-yard line, but couldn't score.
On the first play of the third quarter, Joey Conway deflected, then pulled in an interception, giving the Bulldogs possession at the North Chicago 17-yard line. But the offense couldn't move and Grant missed a 34-yard field goal.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Bulldogs got on the board first. A roughing-the-passer penalty on North Chicago kept a drive alive. Junior Kenyon Jones rumbled for a 33-yard run on the next play, then scored from 5 yards out to make it 7-0.
Grant's second touchdown was a 26-yard drive after a good kickoff return by Diego Ortiz. Jones (16 carries, 78 yards) ran for 16 yards on fourth-and-two, setting up his own 2-yard plunge into the end zone, making it 14-6 at halftime. A light rain fell during parts of the game, which might have contributed to the sloppy play.
Grant (2-4, 2-2) kept its playoff hopes alive. The Bulldogs can qualify by winning their final three games. They'll host Grayslake North next Saturday for Homecoming.
"We've got to watch the film," Andriola said. "There's something going on and we've just got to fix it. The guys are pressing, too. I can tell we're pressing on offense, everybody is. We've got to take a break. I'm glad to get the win. They're very athletic. I just wish we would have played a little bit better defensively, so we didn't have to leave the offense to do that."