Lakes handles Grant
Another pick and another prickly pineapple for D'Lo Hardy.
More importantly for he and his Lakes football teammates, they picked up another win.
For the second time in three weeks, Hardy scored 5 touchdowns in a game, and Friday night at Grant, the versatile senior showed off the many ways he can deliver the ball into end zone. Lakes won 42-19 in Fox Lake to improve to 5-1 and 4-0 in the Northern Lake County Conference to remain tied for first place with Antioch.
"I think we got a heck of a football team," Lakes coach Jordan Eder said after his Eagles won their fourth game in a row, despite leading by only a touchdown at halftime. "Once we put four quarters together, we're going to be as good as anybody."
After the game, Hardy held a pineapple given to him for picking off another pass. Lakes defensive backs coach Kevin Shifley came up with the idea this year, and Hardy has been feasting. He set the school record last week with his fifth interception.
"Usually, Friday, eighth hour, when I'm in Foods class, I just cut it up," Hardy said of his weekly pineapple.
Hardy notched his sixth pick of the season against Grant, returning a fourth-quarter interception 75 yards to pad the visitors' lead to 42-13.
"I'm not surprised anymore," Lakes quarterback Chris Selig said of Hardy, who earlier rushed for 3 scores and caught a TD pass from Selig.
Grant, which lost leading rusher Noah Lautner (9 carries, 41 yards) to a left knee injury in the third quarter and was already missing two starting linemen due to injuries, fell to 2-4 and 2-2.
"Our biggest issue is focus - lack thereof," Bulldogs coach Chris Robinson said. "What makes (Lakes) a great program is not just their athletes. They also know how to capitalize on big plays. That's the hurdle we're facing right now."
Lakes, which came into the game having scored 138 points in its first three NLCC games against North Chicago, Grayslake North and Wauconda, led only 14-0 late in the first half on a pair of 1-yard runs by Hardy. Grant cut its deficit in half when Tyler Elfering hit speedy John Bolton from 42 yards out on the final play of the half.
"We just weren't really clicking in the beginning. It's not really our thing," said Selig, who was 9-of-11 passing for 140 yards and 1 TD and rushed 10 times for 78 yards and a score. "Something just clicked (after halftime). We got one touchdown, then we got another, and then we just had them on their heels, and we just kept pounding them."
Hardy's 2-yard TD run early in the third quarter gave Lakes its two-touchdown margin again. His Pick 6 came on a fourth-and-10 pass. He couldn't resist grabbing the ball, instead of just batting it down.
"It was wide open, so I had to catch it," said Hardy, smiling.
Grant wide receivers Bolton (22 yards) and Tyler Fritsch (57 yards) caught TD passes from Elfering in a wild fourth quarter, in which the two teams combined for 33 points. Lakes cornerback Conner Nordmeyer had 2 interceptions, earning himself a pair of pineapples (4 on the season).
"Lots of pineapples," Eder said.