advertisement

Huntley runs away from McHenry

Huntley's Alex Janke nearly broke free for a score on the opening kickoff against McHenry, running free down the left sideline before making a cut inside and being tackled near the Warriors' 15-yard line.

It was one of the few time the 5-foot-9 senior running back didn't find the end zone.

Janke finished with five total scores, including one through the air, and the Red Raiders ran away from McHenry, 53-8, in their Fox Valley Conference game on Thursday at McCracken Field.

Janke ran 18 times for 91 yards, including touchdown runs of 5, 10, 5 and 15 yards. He also had a 22-yard halfback pass to Alex Denniston in the end zone with 8:45 left in the third quarter that extended Huntley's lead to 39-8. Janke then added the Raiders' last two scores on the ground for the final score.

"He's just fun to watch," Huntley coach Matt Zimolzak said. "He's an exciting guy out there and he's the energy of the team. He's just a tremendous football player that can do a lot of things for us. We love the kid. He's just a fun kid to be around."

Janke's touchdown toss to Denniston really seemed to get the Raiders bench going in the third quarter.

"We've been working on that [play] for so long now, and I finally got to do it," Janke said. "I knew it was coming. The O-line, you really have to give them props for their play. They really blocked their [butts] off, and the D-line got in there, too. ... That's how we win. If our lines play good, we win. That's how we roll."

Huntley quarterback Bruno Bosman was 14 of 23 passing for 161 yards and two total touchdowns. He scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter and tacked on a seven-yard touchdown pass to Justin Coleman right before half that gave the Raiders a 32-8 lead at the break.

Bosman nearly had another touchdown pass with a 24-yard strike to Chase Jetel, but Jetel, who had a team-high 64 yards receiving on four catches, was tackled at the 1-yard line. Coleman recorded five catches for 42 yards and Denniston hauled in three passed for 44 yards.

Huntley's Chris Medina had two interceptions against McHenry quarterback Andrew Hoffman, and Edward Wall had a blocked punt and a fumble recovery. Boston Bower had the fumble recovery on Wall's blocked punt, which set up Janke's 10-yard score in second quarter.

"We were just running to the ball and just played together as a unit," Wall said. "We read our keys and we all trusted each other like we have all year. We just played as hard as we could and it showed. I saw the guy across from me [on the punt], I knew I could take him, and I just went after it."

McHenry coach Jon Niemic came away impressed with Huntley's defense. The Warriors were held to 66 yards rushing on 22 carries, or 3 yards a carry.

"Their defense is pretty impressive," Niemic said. "We obviously helped them out a few times with turnovers, and when you're playing teams like that, you cannot spot them turnovers and allow them to capitalize off of them. The opening kickoff and the punt block ... both of which they scored 14 points off.

"That's a quality football program over there. I thought they played hard and they outplayed us tonight. The biggest thing I told our guys is, 'Don't allow the moments to define you. Allow you response to those moments define you.' Our schedule did us no favors, but we've got three winnable games left, and I think our guys are all in."

McHenry scored its only points on a 77-yard touchdown pass from Hoffman to wide receiver Matt Gallimore in the second quarter. Hoffman competed 9 of 16 passes for 107 yards, a touchdown and the two interceptions. Gallimore had 99 yards on three catches.

Huntley's Alexander Janke (11) stiff arms McHenry's James LaRose (28) on a run on the initial kickoff in the first quarter of the game at McHenry High School East Campus on Thursday, April 1, 2021, in McHenry, Ill. Daryl Quitalig/For Shaw Media
Huntley's Nicholas Martino (24) meets McHenry receiver Brody Hallin (34) on a run in the second quarter of the game at McHenry High School East Campus on Thursday, April 1, 2021, in McHenry, Ill. Daryl Quitalig/For Shaw Media
Huntley's Edward Wall (21) celebrates after a blocked punt attempt in the second quarter of the game at McHenry High School East Campus on Thursday, April 1, 2021, in McHenry, Ill. Daryl Quitalig/For Shaw Media
Huntley's Bruno Bosman (17) looks for a pass in the second quarter of the game at McHenry High School East Campus on Thursday, April 1, 2021, in McHenry, Ill. Daryl Quitalig/For Shaw Media
Huntley's Jason Coleman (7) runs the ball past Warrior defenders in the second quarter of the game at McHenry High School East Campus on Thursday, April 1, 2021, in McHenry, Ill. Daryl Quitalig/For Shaw Media
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.