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Antioch wraps up 9-0 regular season

In a game that was basically over with two minutes left in the second quarter, Antioch still breathed a sigh of relief Friday night.

Antioch blew away North Chicago 58-12 to finish 9-0 for the third consecutive regular season, but most importantly for the Sequoits they escaped the game unscathed.

Two starters left the game with knee injuries, but Antioch coach Brian Glashagel said after some evaluation the injuries were just hyperextensions that he heard weren't serious.

"I'm not worried," he said.

Glashagel even avoided getting nailed with celebratory postgame water bath, which would not have been enjoyable considering the chilly weather.

That's how great of a night Antioch had.

"I don't want to sit on a bus soaking wet," Glashagel joked after the game.

The win also capped the season-long growth of Sequoits quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis. Kaliakmanis, a sophomore, was responsible for 6 touchdowns and had more rushing touchdowns (3) than interceptions (2).

All that production came in the first half of play, as Kaliakmanis enjoyed the second half on the sidelines.

"Without my offensive line, I wouldn't be able to do any of those things," Kaliakmanis said. "I've got to give credit to my guys always."

Kaliakmanis led Antioch as the Sequoits eviscerated North Chicago's defense for a 44-point second quarter. He ran for an 82-yard touchdown and tossed scores of 6, 61 and 20 yards in the final eight minutes of the quarter, only letting up when time ran out in the second quarter.

When the dust finally settled, the sophomore compiled a staggering 362 yards. He threw for 236 yards and ran for 126.

But, Glashagel doesn't see Kaliakmanis as an underclassman anymore. That sophomore label was irrelevant after the first few games of the season.

"There's nothing in my mind that's like, 'oh he's a sophomore, lets not do this,' " Glashagel said. "We've thrown the full gambit of things at him, and he performs at such a high level."

Kaliakmanis' growth also allows Glashagel to focus on improving other parts of his team. North Chicago exploited a few coverage breakdowns on broken plays, which led to a few big plays for the Warhawks.

Warhawks quarterback Cory Harper ran for 117 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown run, but Antioch's defense responded by snagging 2 interceptions, recovering 3 fumbles and scoring a safety.

"We want to be the team that capitalizes when a team gives us an opportunity," Glashagel said. "And we don't want to give teams opportunities, so we just need to clean things up."

As Antioch heads into the playoffs, it will boast one of the most impressive offenses that has scored 45 points per game in the regular season and hasn't scored less than 42 points in the last six weeks.

"We've had some tough games, some obstacles as all teams has at this point," Glashagel said. "We've come out 9-0, and hopefully get a home playoff game next week."

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