GRAYSLAKE – Hampshire’s first three plays on offense Friday against Grayslake North consisted of a 1-yard loss, a 3-yard loss and a 3-yard loss.
It was a sign of a long, disappointing night ahead for the Whip-Purs.
Grayslake North scored the game’s first six touchdowns to prompt a running clock in a 42-14 win against Hampshire. The Knights (5-0, 3-0 FVC Fox) remained unbeaten while Hampshire (3-2, 1-2) looked to bounce back quickly for its upcoming game against Woodstock North.
“Like I just told the kids, we were outcoached and we were outplayed,” Hampshire coach Dan Cavanaugh said. “That was apparent. We didn’t execute like we should have, and that’s on me. So we’ll come back to the drawing board on Monday.”
Meanwhile, the Knights might have to guard against overconfidence.
Five players scored touchdowns for Grayslake North, which notched 28 points in a span of 6:46 in the first half thanks to three rushing touchdowns and a 49-yard pass down the seam from Merrick Gentile to Andrew Martineau. Gentile finished the game with 169 passing yards and two touchdowns while adding 141 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Hampshire had a much tougher time moving the ball against the Knights, who had a shutout until Nick Kielbasa rushed for two touchdowns with the game out of hand in the fourth quarter. Kielbasa (23 carries, 133 yards, 2 TDs) was the lone bright spot on offense, while quarterback Nick Mohlman (3 for 11, 32 yards, 2 INTs) struggled to find open receivers.
“They were very prepared,” Mohlman said of Grayslake North. “Any time I dropped back to pass, they know who they had to cover, they knew how they had to cover.
“Good coaching, good players. All around, they’re a very good team.”
Knights coach Steve Wood credited his players on both sides of the ball for their dominant performance. A big crowd packed the bleachers as part of Grayslake North’s homecoming festivities.
“I couldn’t be happier with our week of preparation, how the kids prepared with all of the distractions going on with homecoming,” Wood said. “It makes me proud to see them prioritize in a way that shows me that football is important to them.”
Cavanaugh said the Whip-Purs should remain confident going forward.
“We’re 3-2, and we’re still very playoff eligible,” said Cavanaugh, whose other loss came to Crystal Lake Central. “We lost to two very, very good football teams.
“We’ve got a lot of football to go. We’ll bounce back.”