Crystal Lake South responds in a big way, beats crosstown rival Crystal Lake Central

CRYSTAL LAKE – Yards on the ground had been incredibly difficult for Crystal Lake Central to find this season.

In fact, entering Friday’s Week 5 Fox Valley Conference crosstown rivalry game against Crystal Lake South, the Tigers didn’t have a rushing attempt that gained more than seven yards all season.

Needless to say, when Central running back Carter Kelley took the first play from scrimmage for a 72-yard rushing touchdown, there was instantly a different vibe.

Remarkably, despite Kelley carrying the ball 22 times for 240 yards, and the Tigers rushing for 354 yards as a team, it wasn’t enough.

That’s because the Gators started drives in Central territory five times, got a blocked punt, three field goals — plus a 95-yard kickoff return for a score — en route to a wild 30-24 road win.

“I don’t care if we give up 600 yards on the ground, so long as we win the game,” South coach Rob Fontana said. “I think that’s the thing I love most about this group. They scrap, they claw, and they find other ways to influence the outcome of the game.”

After falling behind 7-0 right away, the Gators (2-3 overall, 2-3 FVC) responded two minutes into the second quarter with a huge run of their own.

Logan Miller (21 carries, 134 yards) tied things with a 76-yard run, his first of two rushing TDs.

Two minutes later, South blocked a punt at the Tigers’ 9-yard line, which was recovered by Abe Avery Jr.

Miller scored a 9-yard rushing TD one play later, and it was 14-7 Gators.

“I grew up playing with a lot of kids on Central since junior Eagles, a lot of us all know each other,” Miller said. “So there was a lot of talking back and forth since it was a rivalry game. I’m just glad we prevailed and came out ahead.”

The final three minutes of the first half were action packed.

First, Central QB Brett Kramer found a wide open Ben Freese for a 24-yard passing TD, tying the game at 14-14.

South responded on the ensuing kickoff with an electric 95-yard Anthony Demirov TD return, which gave the Gators the lead for good at 21-14.

Demirov also had 12 carries for 97 yards.

Shortly after his TD return, the Gators recovered a Central fumble, which led to a 40-yard field goal directly into a strong wind by senior kicker JJ Semradek.

He also had field goals from 34 and 49 yards in the third quarter, going 3 for 3 on the evening.

“I’m confident in my ability to kick from anywhere on the field,” Semradek said. “And I don’t kick from a tee typically when I practice, I do it with a live holder most of the time.

“And I work all offseason at it, because I know how important special teams can be to a team’s success. We definitely saw that today. So many guys stepped up when it mattered. This was a true definition of the words ‘team win.’ ”

The Tigers refused to go quietly.

Cayden Parks (two carries, 103 yards) outran the entire Gators’ secondary for a 66-yard TD with 2:36 left in the third quarter, cutting South’s advantage to 27-24. Semradek made it 30-24 with 37 seconds left in the third quarter with his 49-yard field goal.

Central got the ball back one final time late in the foruth quarter, but was unable to execute a fake punt on fourth down inside its own 40-yard line, with under two minutes left to play.

“We put ourselves in some pretty difficult spots, and that was the difference in the game,” Central coach Dirk Stanger said. “It was great to see us execute and do the little things blocking-wise to progress offensively ... but we got outplayed in other areas, which cost us.”

The Tigers (1-4, 1-4 FVC) outgained the Gators in total yards 380-229.

“The great part about the sport of football is it teaches you life lessons,” Stanger said. “Every team and every player is going to face adversity. Even Michael Jordan lost plenty of games.

“It’s how you respond to defeat, how you respond to adversity, that matters. Our kids are learning and are the type of kids who will keep growing as players and human beings. There’s no doubt about it.”