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Rolling Meadows sacks Buffalo Grove

Unleashed.

That's what Rolling Meadows' defensive linemen Nate Pedraza, Jose Aleman and Mick Lawlor were Saturday in Rolling Meadows. The trio accounted for six of the Mustangs' 8 sacks as Rolling Meadows pulled away from Buffalo Grove 49-17 in the Mid-Suburban East.

"We just went full out," said Pedraza, who had three of those sacks, including a pair on consecutive plays inside his team's own 15-yard line.

"We just went for the quarterback. It doesn't matter what type of pass, we just went full out."

Rolling Meadows coach Matt Mishler says that his team takes it queues from the defensive line.

"They are kind of our engine," Mishler said. "And a couple of those guys play on the offensive line, too. They are the motor that makes the thing go."

Those three, along with blitzes by Nick Tannhauser, Luke Joyce and Sean Nolan, forced the Bison to hurry their passes in the second half. That led to 3 interceptions including one by Nolan, who returned it 18 yards for a touchdown.

"The D-line has been great," said Nolan, who also had a sack to add to his pick-six. "When I get my number called for a blitz or something, I just try to do my job."

Nolan and the rest of the Mustangs (5-0, 1-0) have been doing their job quite well this season. And so has their offense, which had 416 yards and capitalized on the Buffalo Grove turnovers in the second half.

Buffalo Grove (2-3, 0-1) used some huge plays to stay in the game early.

Ayden Anderson, who would finish with 7 receptions for 151 yards, hooked up with Mark Antonetti (15-of-24, 197 yards) on a 92-yard touchdown pass to put the Bison up 7-0.

Meadows responded with a 2-yard touchdown run by Nife Oseni that capped a 14-play drive. A 23-yard touchdown run by Noah Wilson and 2-point conversion run by Oseni gave Meadows a 14-7 lead.

Max Oberman tied it just seconds later with an electrifying 99-yard kickoff return and it was tied early in the second quarter at 14.

Meadows pulled ahead on a Jordan Wiles' touchdown run. Buffalo Grove followed with a 26-yard field goal from Cal Gerhardt to close the gap to 21-17 with 1:55 left in the first half.

Buffalo Grove (2-3, 0-1) followed with an attempted pooch kickoff and it appeared that the Bison had recovered at the ball at the Meadows' 25. However, the officials ruled that the Mustangs recovered.

Taking the opportunity, Meadows, behind quarterback Carson Schiller (18-of-24, 235 yards), moved the ball to the Bison 33. On a broken play with the clock running, Schiller connected with a wide-open Oseni, who after catching the ball nearly fell down, before scoring as time expired.

"It was a broken play, "Oseni said. "I realized I was open. After I caught it, all my momentum was going forward and I nearly fell. I always fall in practice, but I got my hand down."

Oseni scored on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Schiller in the third quarter and Wilson tallied on a 5-yarder to break the game open for the Mustangs.

"We felt good about our game plan," Buffalo Grove coach Jeff Vlk said. "We thought we could catch them in a few spots and we did. We knew there were two guys who could hurt us today and it was Nife (Oseni) and (Nate) Pedraza. And they did."

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