GRAYSLAKE – Huntley football coach Steve Graves said he hadn’t been too thrilled with the performance of his running backs before Sept. 21’s game at Grayslake North. But it was tough to find fault with the Red Raiders performance against the Knights.
Led by Jordan Neukirch and offensive line play, the Red Raiders dominated the line of scrimmage and the scoreboard in a 48-21 victory over winless Grayslake North.
Neukirch carried 10 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns, capitalizing on superior blocking and running over many opposing defenders when they finally reached him.
As a team, Huntley (2-3) rushed for 389 yards. The Red Raiders scored on their first five possessions, running in all different directions from various formations with a host of backs.
“We were stressing the run game this week,” Neukirch said.
“You’ve got to give all the credit to the offensive line. They were just powering and opening holes left and right.”
Quarterback Casey Popenfoose ran for 109 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown. Popenfoose threw only two passes all game, but there was little need for Huntley to throw.
Grayslake North (0-5) had minimal success on the ground, rushing for only 87 yards, including 40 on one play. Quarterback Nick Harrington threw for 185 yards, but he was picked off three times.
Huntley’s Austin Drougas scored on the team’s opening possession, though it was Neukirch who ran for 61 yards on that drive.
Then after a Popenfoose interception, Neukirch broke free for a 20-yard touchdown run.
Neukirch scored again in the final minute of the first quarter, capping an eight-play drive during which the Red Raiders faced only one third down.
“I thought we’d be able to control them,” Grayslake North coach Steve Wood said. “They’re very predictable in what they do; but they’re good at what they do. We couldn’t stop them, and that’s frustrating. We feel like we do everything right, and they’re just better. Their offense was much, much better than our defense.