‘Let him cook’: Cary-Grove RB Andrew Prio turns in explosive play after explosive play

CARY – Pretty much every time Cary-Grove running back Andrew Prio gets his hands on the football it is a hold-your-breath, edge-of-your-seat moment.

That goes for Trojans’ fans and opposing defensive coaches alike.

With Prio, something electric is likely to happen.

Prio is eighth in McHenry County area rushing with 852 yards on 60 carries and all seven players ahead of him have more than twice as many carries. Some have three times as many.

“I’m just trying to do everything I can to help my team,” Prio said. “My teammates do everything they can to get me good looks and help me open up the perimeter. I’m just trying to make a big play out there.”

His balance is unbelievable. There are times when he just doesn’t go down.”

—  Brad Seaburg, Cary-Grove coach on Andrew Prio

Big plays and Prio have gone hand-in-hand for the No. 3-seeded Trojans (8-2), who travel to No. 11 Highland Park (7-3) in a Class 6A second-round playoff game at 2 p.m. Saturday.

“He’s a weapon,” C-G quarterback Peyton Seaburg said. “He’s fast and he does things in our offense I don’t think anyone else can do, like putting spin moves on or his speed and acceleration. He just adds a weapon to our offense and special teams as well.

“We have a couple special plays geared toward getting the ball to Prio and getting him out there and having him make his cuts and let him cook.”

C-G’s triple-option offense starts up front with the line and fullback Logan Abrams, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound bruiser who has 1,140 yards and 16 touchdowns. While defenses often concentrate on slowing Abrams down, like Libertyville did in the Trojans’ 49-6 first-round victory Friday, Prio finds the room he needs outside.

“The defense has to stop the fullback first,” Seaburg said. “That’s kind of the heart of our offense. After that it opens up plays for Prio and (Holden) Boone and me on the perimeter. It also opens up our passing game.”

Prio (5-foot-9, 160 pounds) averages 14.2 yards per carry and also has a kick return and a punt return touchdown. He has three receptions for 81 yards, two of those went for touchdowns as well.

Trojans coach Brad Seaburg, the quarterback’s father, notices his fastest player looks speedier than last season, when he led C-G with 582 rushing yards.

“He’s pulling away from kids who last year may have ran him down,” Brad Seaburg said. “There were a couple of games this year where it was close and all of a sudden he was just gone. We looked at film from last year and he was fast, but some guys ran him down.

“His balance is unbelievable. There are times when he just doesn’t go down.”

Offseason workouts with the team and local trainer Marcus Thimios, a C-G graduate and former player, along with running track in the spring helped Prio gain speed.

Defensive back PJ Weaver occasionally winds up feeling like defenders on Friday night in C-G practices.

“It can definitely be brutal,” Weaver said. “Wednesdays we go 1s vs. 1s on team defense and there’s been plenty of times when I’m on the ground when he’s running past me. He’s that much of a playmaker, when he’s doing spin moves and what he can do on the perimeter. He’s just a nuts athlete at the end of the day.”

C-G missed the playoffs last season at 3-6 for the first time in 18 years, but the Trojans announced their return Friday with a vengeance.

Abrams carried 21 times for 90 yards and four touchdowns, overall a respectable defensive job. But Prio busted loose for his best game with 10 carries for 194 yards and a touchdown.

“Libertyville was really trying to put everyone on Logan to stop him,” Brad Seaburg said. “They did a nice job on him, but it opened up the perimeter and Andrew made some really long runs. We were able to take what they were giving us.

“Peyton has been doing really well too and has improved a lot over the year and has had a couple games where he’s proven he can run the ball too. Adding that third dimension is huge and Boone’s had some long runs too. We’ve started to establish all four guys in the backfield, which is when we’re at our best.”

In Week 5 against Prairie Ridge, the Trojans did not have their best offensive performance with 220 total yards. But Prio had a 95-yard kickoff return touchdown, then caught a 38-yard pass during C-G’s final scoring drive in a 21-20 loss. He also carried four times for 59 yards.

“My eyes get real big when I see that big hole and take off,” Prio said. “I ran track in the spring so that was a big part. Numbers-wise I’m not sure how much faster I am, but I definitely feel quicker.”

The Trojans have scored 220 points in their last five games, with a 29-28 Week 7 loss to Huntley the only time in that stretch where they scored fewer than 41.

“We’re doing well, execution has been good,” Peyton Seaburg said. “We just have to keep bringing it every single week. We’re in a good spot right now.”