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Donohue's 7 TD passes lead Grayslake North in rout of Round Lake

It was St. Patrick's Day a few days ago, but Jacob Donohue waited until Saturday to show his "luck of the Irish."

Donohue, Grayslake North's sophomore quarterback, put up a "lucky 7" in leading the Knights to a breezy 55-14 Northern Lake County Conference win against visiting Round Lake.

Donohue threw for 7 big touchdowns and 300 yards after being thrust into the starting role just days ago. Starting quarterback Nick Fish went down with a broken foot earlier this month while playing for the basketball team. Donohue was the next man up, and he certainly stepped up.

"This man, I mean 7 touchdowns," said Grayslake North senior wide receiver Tony Hines, who caught 3 of Donohue's touchdown throws and was interviewed right next to Donohue after the game. "I've never seen that ever. Ever. Two years ago, I saw 6 touchdowns in one game and I thought that was a lot.

"Today, it felt like (Donohue) kept throwing touchdowns on every play. It was crazy to see, and it was amazing to be a part of."

Donohue and Grayslake North scored on their first possession, a 30-yard touchdown pass to Hines, and kept it rolling from there. By the end of the first quarter, the Knights were up 20-6, all on touchdown passes from Donohue, who like Hines, just came over from basketball less than a week ago.

By halftime, Grayslake North was up 48-6, and a 2-yard run by Zaire Knight 30 seconds before the second quarter ended was the only non-passing touchdown.

"It felt amazing," Donohue said of his 7 touchdowns. "It just feels great to be out here and out here with the seniors. The offense felt really good."

Donohue, who completed 18-of-23 passes, hit Hines (3 catches for 55 yards) for 3 touchdowns, senior Christian Johnson (9-153) for 3 touchdowns and Nathan Atwell (3-60) for one.

"It seems like we've been practicing forever, we practiced in the summer and in the fall and had some contact days in the winter and so I was kind of hoping that (kind of chemistry in the passing game between quarterback and receivers) would happen," Grayslake North first-year coach Corey Atwell said. "It worked out for us.

"There were a lot of little things to learn in our offense and those guys did a great job of picking it up. (Donohue) had a great game. He was seeing the field really well and our receivers were working to get open. And the offensive line did an unbelievable job giving us time."

Round Lake sandwiched touchdowns in the first and fourth quarters.

Quarterback Isaiah Nixon, also a basketball player, hit Jason Wooten for a 46-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Then, with about 30 seconds left in the game, which had a running clock for the second half, Dominick Tovar ran in for a 1-yard touchdown.

"It's great to be out here and we have a lot of senior leaders," Round Lake coach Scott Blecha said. "We didn't get the result we wanted, but it gave us something to build on.

"We battled, but I think everything that has happened in the last year with conditioning kind of played a role with it. They (Grayslake North) were going high tempo and we were having a little bit of trouble keeping up with them. That's something we have to work on."

  Grayslake North's Jack Kukis (7) is knocked out of bounds by Round Lake's Alex Hair (11) and Philip Robinson (14) during football Saturday March 20, 2021 in Grayslake. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  Fans watch Grayslake North against Round Lake during football Saturday March 20, 2021 in Grayslake. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  Grayslake North's Jack Kukis (7) and Nathan Atwell (5) celebrate a touchdown during football Saturday March 20, 2021 in Grayslake. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  Round Lake's Philip Robinson (14) tries to knock away a pass intended for Grayslake North's Nathan Atwell (5) for a touchdown during football Saturday March 20, 2021 in Grayslake. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  Grayslake North's Tony Hines (11) loses his helmet as he is being tackled during football Saturday March 20, 2021 in Grayslake. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  Round Lake's Jason Wooten (1) and James Bills (3) wrap up Grayslake North's Jack Kukis (7) during football Saturday March 20, 2021 in Grayslake. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  Grayslake North's Dimitri Cannon (43) reacts after sacking Round Lake's Isaiah Nixon (8) during football Saturday March 20, 2021 in Grayslake. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  Grayslake North's Tony Hines (11) looks for an opening between Round Lake's Jason Wooten (1) and Paul Youngberg (55) during football Saturday March 20, 2021 in Grayslake. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  Students cheer during football Saturday March 20, 2021 in Grayslake. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  Round Lake's Isaiah Nixon (8) tosses to his running back during football Saturday March 20, 2021 in Grayslake. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  Grayslake North's Tony Hines (11) heads in for a touchdown past Round Lake's Alex Hair (11) during football Saturday March 20, 2021 in Grayslake. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
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