High school football: Grayslake North tops Hampshire

GRAYSLAKE - For Grayslake North and Hampshire, something had to give. Each team came into the second week of the season following victories over a close rival in Week 1.

Grayslake North took advantage of some Hampshire mistakes and pulled away for a 28-18 victory in the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division opener for both teams at Grayslake North High School.

After a slow start in which the Whip-Purs went three and out on all three first-quarter possessions, Hampshire started to put things together. Hampshire (1-1, 0-1 FVC Fox) finally got things going offensively in the second quarter and, after a Jeremy Curran 44-yard touchdown scamper, Hampshire trailed by just a score heading into halftime.

The area that hurt Hampshire was too many mistakes. The Whip-Purs committed 12 penalties, half of which were false starts, and turned the ball over three times.

Hampshire also had the ball inside the Knights' 35-yard line on four occasions and came away with zero points. The Whip-Purs turned the ball over twice on downs, missed a field goal, and also had a pass intercepted inside the Knights' 35.

The mistake that hurt the most took place in the third quarter. With Hampshire trailing 14-12, the Knights' Mark Kegerman intercepted a Jacob Vincent pass at the 37-yard line and took it in for a touchdown, swinging the momentum to Grayslake North (2-0, 1-0).

“We made way too many mistakes and didn’t execute on offense and that is what hurt us the most,” Hampshire coach Mike Brasile said.

Unsung Hero

Logan Fleury

Hampshire, senior, defensive back

The Whip-Purs cornerback broke up three passes and had a fumble recovery to help lead a solid defensive effort against Grayslake North.

The Number

12: Number of penalties for Hampshire of which half were false starts.

And Another Thing

Jake Manning was Jake Vincent’s prime target, finishing with nine receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown.