Penick, Highland Park handle Maine W.
Maine West lost one of its best offensive players early in Friday night's game against Highland Park, and its defense couldn't stop the Giants' top playmaker.
The Warriors also fumbled three times and allowed their Central Suburban North opponent to recover two onside kicks in a 35-14 defeat.
The first of those surprising kickoffs helped the Giants build an early 14-0 cushion in the opening quarter with both touchdowns coming via D.J. Penick's legs. The Highland Park senior finished with 223 yards and 4 TDs on 24 carries.
"We were just not aggressive. We waited for everything to come to us," Maine West coach Jason Kradman said. "On defense, we couldn't tackle (Penick). On offense, our running backs couldn't get anything going."
The Warriors (4-3, 2-1) were dealt an early blow when Marteen Robinson hurt his ankle on the third play. Robinson rushed for 108 yards in last week's 17-10 victory against Vernon Hills, his first game in three weeks, and his teammates totaled 38 yards without him Friday.
Kradman said his senior's status is unknown for next week's game at Deerfield, and Maine West's attempt to become playoff eligible. The Warriors haven't reached the postseason since 2002 and haven't won five games since 2005.
"We thought we were a good football team. We thought we took a turn last week for the better, and we took a huge step backward," the Maine West coach said.
Kradman's team will need to do a better job of taking care of the ball, and one of its second-half turnovers was recovered in the end zone by Highland Park's Nick Siegel. Penick followed with his final touchdown, a 33-yarder, on the Giants' next possession and went to the sideline for good early in the fourth quarter.
"We didn't make enough plays. We gave them four free possessions, two of which were easy touchdowns," Kradman said.
Maine West scored its two touchdowns in the final minutes of each half. Sam Kindle connected with Matt Kentgen on a 37-yard pass with 1:09 remaining before intermission. Ivan Stoitzev took a pass from backup quarterback George Markakis and scored from 59 yards out with 2.2 seconds left.
Penick tallied his first touchdown with 6:29 left in the first quarter after Maine West botched the snap on a punt and gave the Giants the ball on the 5-yard line. He scored from 16 yards away after his teammates recovered the first onside kick.
Penick capped a 13-play, 83-yard drive on the next possession for Highland Park (5-2, 2-1) with a 1-yard score.
"One of the great things about D.J. is a lot of people know he's going to get the ball, and he still has success. We're certainly proud of him and our offensive line tonight," Giants coach Joe Horeni said.
Kentgen paced all receivers with six receptions for 87 of Kindle's 119 yards.