Hampshire bolts past Grayslake Central
Hampshire coach Mike Brasile referred to last week's loss as a "comedy of errors."
Perhaps the only reason he didn't use the same phrase is because the Whip-Purs still managed to claim a 40-17 home-opening victory over Grayslake Central in a Fox Valley Conference Fox Division game Friday night.
"The biggest difference was that we weathered the storm," Brasile said of a second straight outing with over 100 yards in penalties. "We had a lot of turnovers again, but we stuck together and didn't get on each other."
The week before many of those miscues came in the red zone for Hampshire (2-1, 1-1), thanks to Jacob Vincent finding three receivers in the end zone for completions of 22 or more yards, the Whip-Purs basically bypassed the red zone.
"I always try to get everyone touches, but none of that happens without good blocking. I have to credit my line tonight," noted Vincent, who was 25 of 30 passing for 330 yards with 1 interception. "We had some jitters to start in front of the home crowd, but the defense played hard and all of my receivers do a great job."
Despite a spirited start, the Rams (0-3, 0-1) ultimately saw their losing streak extended to 13 straight, stretching back through an 0-9 2014 campaign and a last loss in 2013.
A 22-yard end zone reception by Jared Hornbeck started the second half and Vincent added a 3-yard keeper to boost the Whip-Purs' lead to 27-9 at the end of the third quarter.
Jeremy Curran broke loose for a 46-yard touchdown run to make it 34-9 before Ram quarterback Lue Shpeher found Noah Cromerford for an 8-yard scoring strike. The duo combined for a PAT pass to make it 34-14. The Rams were hoping to add a second Danny Perez field goal in the last two minutes, but Brady McMorris blocked the attempt and Jared Lund scooped the ball up for a 75-yard return.
Grayslake Central opened with a 10-play, 75-yard march that saw Shepherd carry in from the 1-yard line, however, the PAT kick failed when the snap was fumbled. The big play was a 42-yard pass to Comerford.
"Scoring first felt fantastic, but we needed to sustain that kind of push for the whole game," Rams running back Mikey Andrews said. "Our defense did a good job getting turnovers, we need to execute on those offensive opportunities."
The Rams recovered an onside kick, but the Whip-Purs got over the surprise and forced a punt. Central failed to capitalize on a Hampshire fumble, so the hosts countered with a score as the first-quarter clock ran out. The fourth of Jacob Vincent's completions to Xavier Bennett was a 22-yard touchdown catch. Matt Kielbasa added the PAT kick for a 7-6 lead.
Curran came up with a 15-yard interception return that led to another Hampshire scoring drive. Vincent connected on a 23-yarder to Jake Manning. Kielbasa's kick made it 14-6.
A Grayslake Central punt bounced off a Hampshire player to set up a first and goal with 4:31 left in the opening half, but the Rams had to settle for a 27-yard Danny Perez field goal.