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Oladunmoye, Grayslake North return to form

It felt like old times for Dami Oladunmoye. Finally.

The Grayslake North senior running back has had his ups and downs this season. He broke his left ankle over the summer and missed the first two games of the season as he finished up his rehab.

He played in the Knights' third game, but then sprained that same ankle against Round Lake in Week 4, and that force him to miss the second half of that game and the two games after that.

"It has been really frustrating," Oladunmoye said of his struggle with injuries.

In Saturday afternoon's Week 7 road game at Grant, Oladunmoye was finally cleared to get back on the field again.

And he re-assimilated quickly. Quicker than probably he or anyone else expected.

Oladunmoye, who was one of the top rushers in Lake County last season, rushed for 2 touchdowns and 91 yards against Grant to lead the Knights to a breezy 35-7 Northern Lake County Conference win.

Grayslake North moves to 6-1 on the season (4-1 NLCC) and officially qualifies for the playoffs with six wins. Grant drops to 2-5 (2-3 NLCC) and is officially eliminated from the playoff race.

"It felt great to be back," Oladunmoye said. "It was great to be back with my brothers. I was really excited going through practice and getting ready for the game."

Oladunmoye started on defense as a cornerback and played most of the game there. By his standards, he was used sparingly on offense, with the logic being that defensive, straight-line movements are often more forgiving than a running back's cuts on an ankle that is still healing and coming off two injuries.

The Grayslake North coaching staff wanted to get Oladunmoye back into the offensive rotation, but also didn't want to rush anything.

So, Oladunmoye carried the ball only five times against Grant. But he showed flashes of his old self, including a series of juke and spin moves on one carry that ultimately turned into a 66-yard touchdown run.

"That was a highlight reel play right there," Grayslake North coach Steve Wood said. "(Oladunmoye) got tackled, he ran over people and around people, and that's the kind of special player he is. We need to get him (fully) healthy and when that happens, you're looking at runs like that at any given moment."

Grayslake North, which out-gained Grant by more than 100 yards, was up 20-0 at halftime, on touchdown runs by Oladunmoye (4-yard run), Griffin Gawenda (4 yards) and Peter Stanfel (2 yards).

Gawenda, who has gotten the bulk of the carries during Oladunmoye's injury time, had 57 yards on 14 carries.

Meanwhile, the Knights' defense, which is allowing the fewest points in the NLCC (14.8 ppg), held Grant to just 6 first downs and 105 yards in the first half.

Grant sophomore quarterback Matt McGraw did manage to complete 4-of-8 passes for 67 yards in the first half. But he wasn't able to keep the offense from stalling on a drive that reached the Grayslake North 13-yard line just before halftime.

Then McGraw went 0-for-3 in the second half.

"They knew what we were doing, and it's hard to move the ball when the other team knows what you're doing every time," McGraw said. "We were trying to score (before halftime), but I couldn't get outside to make a play. It would have given us a lot of momentum."

Oladunmoye scored his big, 66-yard touchdown early in the third quarter and then the Knights got another score later in the quarter on a 1-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Austin Martineau (7-of-10, 117 yards) to Payton Campbell.

With Grayslake North subbing out its starters, Grant scored its only touchdown with 24.7 seconds left in the game. Kenyon Jones (16 carries, 16 yards) ran in a touchdown from two yards out.

Drew Walker led the Grant rushing attack with 54 yards on 12 carries.

"I thought we'd be ready to play. Some of it had to do with them, some of it had to do with us," Grant coach Vito Andriola said. "It was disappointing. I did not think that would happen. I thought we'd be better. We didn't seem confident.

"The (Oladunmoye) score in the second half was on third-and-16. That run ended the game. Every time we have a chance to do something, we don't. Just very disappointing. This is as disappointed as I've been here. I didn't think we came out with a fight."

Images: Grant vs. Grayslake North football

  Grayslake North's William Bauman strips the ball from Grant's Isaac Jaime on a first-quarter kickoff return during Saturday's game in Fox Lake. Grant maintained possession of the ball. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Grant's Isaac Jaime carries the ball while being pursued by the Grayslake North defense, including Sam Nayyer (3), during Saturday's game in Fox Lake. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Grant's Isaac Jaime gets past Grayslake North's Jeremiah Myles during Saturday's game in Fox Lake. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Grant's Diego Ortiz picks up a couple extra yards as Graylake North's Sam Nayyer lands on his back during Saturday's game in Fox Lake. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Grayslake North's Austin Martineau carries the ball while being pursued by Grant's Chris Wojslaw during Saturday's game in Fox Lake. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
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