advertisement

Highland Park outlasts Libertyville

A couple of 5-5 prep football teams in 2017 clashed for a 2018 opener Friday night.

Highland Park visited Libertyville, and the score after four quarters?

Even, at 21-21.

HP - under first-year head coach David Lindquist, who played for Illinois in the 2008 Rose Bowl - emerged a 28-27 winner in overtime behind a big-time effort from senior running back/linebacker Tom Motzko. The Giant rushed 38 times for 213 yards and 4 touchdowns.

The host Wildcats had a chance to win it near the end of regulation. A missed 18-yard field-goal try banged the left upright. A blocked extra-point attempt by HP senior Kevin Kaufman preceded the Giants' OT tally.

Libertyville scored its first TD of the season on a 77-yard pass from sophomore Blake Ellingson to Jack Turco at 9:39 of the second quarter. Ellingson's 16-yard TD toss to Brian Stacy and Sean Wittenbrink's extra point knotted the game at 21-21 with 3:26 left in regulation.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.