Lake County: Week 1 Recap

We had a running back rush for over 200 yards with 6 touchdowns and a sophomore quarterback making his first varsity start throw for over 300 yards and 7 touchdowns—I think we can confidently say that football is alive and well in the LC. Here's a recap of the games that were in action this past Friday and Saturday.

Zion-Benton (0-1) @ Warren (1-0)

Final Score: Warren 48, Zion 6

The Warren Blue Devils jumped out to a quick 13-0 lead behind rushing touchdowns from Malachi McNeal Malachi McNeal 6'0" | 220 lbs | LB Warren | 2021 IL and Maurice Edwards Maurice Edwards 5'11" | 195 lbs | RB Warren Township | 2022 State IL . Zion-Benton would soon respond when QB Eric Franklin Eric Franklin 5'10" | 175 lbs | QB Zion-Benton | 2021 IL connected with Deyonte Dowdell for a 74-yard touchdown pass which cut the lead to 13-6. Unfortunately, that would be the last time Zion would see the endzone. Warren’s offense was steadied by their two QB system of Phillip Hird and Aidan Lucero. Both dual-threats ran the ball efficiently and Lucero would even show off his arm strength when he connected on a 50-yard bomb to senior receiver Luther Thompson III midway through the 3^rd quarter. and carried the offensive load as they both chipped in with three rushing touchdowns apiece; Edwards also piled up 146 rushing yards. Warren’s defense led by and Tommy Matheson Tommy Matheson 6'4" | 260 lbs | DL Warren | 2021 IL stimied Zion’s offense and didn’t allow them to get anything going. Zion-Benton RB La’Zarius Geater had a couple of decent runs but was held in check for the most part. Warren’s defensive backs Benjamin Wilson Benjamin Wilson 6'1" | 190 lbs | DB Warren Township | 2022 State IL and John Boehm both had second-half interceptions with Boehm taking his to the house for six. The Blue Devils (1-0) look to keep things rolling next week as they host the Stevenson Patriots (1-0) on Friday, March 26^th. Zion-Benton looks to rebound from their week 1 loss as they had to Waukegan (0-1) for a cross-town rivalry game.

North Chicago (0-1) @ Grant (1-0)

Final Score: Grant 37, North Chicago 6

I was surprised by the outcome of North Chicago versus Grant. When these teams square-off, it’s usually a grind-it-out fight-to-finish type of matchup. John Bolton John Bolton 5'8" | 170 lbs | ATH Grant | 2021 IL gave Grant an early lead as he broke up the sideline for a 51-yard first-quarter touchdown. On the ensuing possession, North Chicago QB Kyndel McKnight responded with an 11-yard touchdown run to even up the score at 6. The rest is history as would go on to have a record-setting performance. To put It mildly–Bolton was unstoppable. His complete skillset was on display as he used his excellent speed, solid base, and exceptional balance to run through and around the Warhawks’ defense en route to 200-plus rushing yards and 6 touchdowns on the day. Fumbles and penalties plagued the Warhawk’s offense as they could not get anything going in their season opener. Grant’s Alex Gomez forced two fumbles, and Nick Blencoe would pick off McKnight in the 4^th quarter to put the icing on the cake of what would be a dominant performance by the Grant Bulldogs. Next week doesn’t get any easier for the Warhawks (0-1) as they travel to Antioch (1-0) to face one of the top teams in the conference. Grant looks to stay hot as they prepare for battle against the Grayslake North Knights (1-0) in week 2.

Round Lake (0-1) @ Grayslake North (1-0)

Final Score: Grayslake North 55, Round Lake 14

If "seizing the moment" was a person, his name would be Jacob Donohue. Sophomore QB Jacob Donohue was given the keys to the Knight’s offense once senior Nicholas Fish was lost for the season with a foot injury. Not only did the sophomore lead the Knights to victory, but he put on a show as he threw for 7 touchdowns in his first varsity start. Donohue is a prospect you’re going to want to keep an eye on moving forward. He showed great pocket presence, was consistently able to extend plays, and his ball placement was on point the entire game. Let’s recap the 7 touchdown passes thrown by sophomore Jacob Donohue:

Touchdown 1- Quick strike to receiver Tony Hines II, 32 yards later he’s in the endzone
Touchdown 2- Hits running back Christian Johnson up the seam for a 39-yard TD.
Touchdown 3- Looks left then snaps back right and lets it rip down the sideline to receiver Nathan Atwell for a 41-yard TD pass.
Touchdown 4- Pump fakes to freeze the defender then hits Tony Hines for a 4-yard TD in the red zone.
Touchdown 5- Puts the ball on a rope and hits Christian Johnson for a 27-yard TD up the seam.
Touchdown 6- Pump fakes the defense then hits Tony Hines II for his third TD reception of the game.
Touchdown 7- Receives the snap, rolls out to his left and finds Christian Johnson for his third TD reception of the game.

Round Lake was able to sneak in two touchdowns during Donohue’s passing clinic but never once came close to making things interesting. It’s also worth noting that Grayslake North’s Dimitri Cannon and Zhaire Knight had standout performances on the defensive side of the ball and were a big reason Round Lakes’ offense struggled. How do you follow up a 7 touchdown performance? I have no clue, but I’ll definitely be tuned in as Jacob Donohue and the Grayslake North Knights (1-0) head to Grant (1-0) for a week 2 conference showdown. Round Lake (0-1) travels to Lakes (0-1) in hopes of getting its first win of the season this Friday.

Antioch (1-0) @ Grayslake Central (0-1)

Final Score: Antioch 34, Grayslake Central 28

During my week 1 preview, I said that Darryl Overstreet could be one of the most improved QBs in the county, so I wasn’t surprised when he threw for 267 yards and 4 touchdowns against the best team in the conference. He took advantage of the extended offseason and it showed in week 1. He hit four different targets for touchdown passes in Friday’s week 1 loss ( Kurt Heerdegen, 18 yard TD Rec; Colin O’Malley, 48-yard TD Rec; Luca Maravola, 16-yard TD Rec; Kaiden Miller, 20-yard TD Rec.). Although Grayslake Central put up a good fight, Antioch’s talent and experience were enough to get them over the hump. Senior QB and Minnesota commit Athan Kaliakmanis Athan Kaliakmanis 6'3" | 185 lbs | QB Antioch | 2021 State IL finished the night with 4 passing touchdowns, his twin brother Dino Kaliakmanis Dino Kaliakmanis 6'2" | 190 lbs | WR Antioch | 2021 State IL , who’s also committed to Minnesota had an electrifying catch-and-run that resulted in a touchdown along with an 86-yard kickoff return for a score. Joey Neumann, a 6’4" sophomore receiver who competed with the Midwest Boom this offseason showed flashes of greatness with six catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Last season Grayslake Central lost to Antioch 33-0, so putting up 28 points and going the distance with a team as talented as Antioch signifies that this program is headed in the right direction. For week 2, the Grayslake Central Rams will host Wauconda (1-0) while Antioch prepares to host the North Chicago Warhawks (0-1).

Mundelein (0-1) @ Libertyville (1-0)

Final Score: Mundelein 21, Libertyville 39

Libertyville's senior signal-caller and Drake commit Blake Ellingson Blake Ellingson 6'2" | 215 lbs | QB Libertyville | 2021 IL was in mid-season form while going 12-16 with 224 yards and 3 passing touchdowns as he led the Wildcats to an impressive week 1 win. Matthew Brenner had six catches for 88 yards and three total touchdowns (2 rush, 1 rec). Nolan Wiley Nolan Wiley 6'0" | 175 lbs | WR Libertyville | 2022 IL had two catches for 42 yards and a touchdown. Connor Dickson hauled in a 37-yard touchdown reception, and Tommy Latka finished the day with two fumble recoveries and a 1-yard touchdown run. Although the Mundelein Mustangs came up short in the pursuit of the W, they were able to amass 275 rushing yards with their committee of hard running backs led by Shawn Patrick’s 12 carries for 90 yards. The other running backs who carried the ball well were Joseph Forman, 8 carries for 75 yards and one touchdown, and Rudy Osornio’s 12 carries for 57 yards; fullback Cole Kirby added a 1-yard touchdown to top off an impressive performance on the ground for the Mustangs. Week 2: Mundelein will host Lake Forest (1-0) while Libertyville travels to Lake Zurich (0-1), who came up short against Lake Forest in week 1. Both games will be played on Friday, March 26th.

Lakes (0-1) @ Wauconda (1-0)

Final Score: Lakes 3, Wauconda 31

Lakes defeated Wauconda 33-7 in their last meeting back in 2019. It was a different story this time around as Wauconda returned the favor defeating Lakes 31-3. Wauconda seniors Nick Bulgarelli and Javerius McGuinn were the driving force behind Friday night’s win. Bulgarelli went 13-16 for 213 yards and two touchdowns. McGuinn, one of the top athletes in Lake County who’s committed to Missouri Western, had 9 catches for 146 yards, while his fellow receiver and partner in crime JJ Jacobo had 2 catches for 46 yards. Wauconda’s ground attack was led by Colin Husko’s 9 carries for 44 yards and Nick Bennett, who had 10 carries for 75 yards, both rushers each had one touchdown. Lakes’ senior standout and Saint Ambrose commit Branden Nava was held in check as Lakes’ offense stalled throughout the game. Nava did manage to connect on a 25-yard field goal which would be the only points Lakes would score. Lakes is a pretty good team, so I expect them to bounce back this week when they face Round Lake (0-1) at home. Wauconda will look to remain undefeated as they travel to Grayslake Central (0-1) in what should be an exciting matchup.

Other scores around the county: Main West (0-1) @ Deerfield (1-0) Final Score: Main West 6, Deerfield 35 Main East (0-1) @ Highland Park (1-0) Final Score: Main East 7, Highland Park 58 Lake Zurich (0-1) @ Lake Forest (1-0) Final Score: Lake Zurich 3, Lake Forest 21 Waukegan (0-1) @ Stevenson (1-0) Final Score: Waukegan 0, Stevenson 49