Buffalo Grove offense lights it up in rout of Niles North
The one-two punch of quarterback Mark Antonetti and running back Max Obeman were too much for Niles North to handle Friday night in Skokie.
Oberman scored 4 touchdowns and Antonetti threw 4 touchdown passes as the Bison dispatched the Vikings 51-29.
The win over the Central Suburban North Vikings gives the Bison a 2-2 record going into next weeks Mid-Suburban East conference opener at Rolling Meadows. Niles North saw its record fall to 2-2.
For the second week in a row, Buffalo Grove started quickly on offense.
Antonetti (14 of 19, 326 yards) found Oberman open in the flat and completed a 62- yard pass play.
A tackle for loss on fourth down by Colin Pangle gave the Bison the ball back at their own 47. Two plays later, Oberman broke loose for a 51-yard run and a 13-0 lead.
"We wanted to make a statement at the beginning of the game and we did," said Antonetti. "It helped to have great jobs done by our offensive line and the receivers. To put up 30 points in the first half is a good confidence builder for this team."
Cal Gerhardt finished the first-quarter scoring for the Bison with a 35-yard field goal and a 16-0 lead.
Gerhardt also kicked 6 extra points.
Antonetti found wide receiver Ayden Anderson on a 60-yard pass play to increase the lead to 23-0. Anderson caught 8 passes for 184 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown grab in the second half.
Oberman finished the first- half scoring with a 40-yard reception from Antonetti.
In the second half, Oberman returned a kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown to make the score 30-13.
"I'm determined to win," said Oberman. "I never give up on a play. I'm a fierce player on the field." Buffalo Grove coach Jeff Vlk echoed those thoughts.
"Max did pretty much a lot of good things for us today," he pointed out. "He returned a kickoff, ran the ball in, caught touchdowns and had an interception. That's how he is. He's a versatile player for us, and we use him every way we can."
Oberman scored on the interception, but it was called back for an illegal block.
Niles North clawed its way back some on a touchdown by Giovanni Milkam-Pryor, who caught an 8-yard pass from Chris Bland. Chris Harris also scored on a 15-yard pass from Bland. Bland led Niles North in rushing with 123 yards on 15 carries.
Freshman quarterback Mike Cervantes scored the final touchdown for the Bison on a 3-yard run.
"We learned that there is a lot of fight in this team," said Vlk. "Even in our two losses, I was happy. Today was a great learning experience."
Oberman added: "Our offensive line was able to open a lot of holes and give us great pass protection. They were able to push back their defense, When we scored early, it gave us the momentum and it really helped this team."
Harris scored on a 7-yard run for Niles North and Jordan Jackson tallied on a 20-yard run late in the game.
The Bison piled up 472 yards of offense.