PREP FOOTBALL: IHSA CLASS 6A PLAYOFFS
FOX LAKE – Now that we know there is a first time for everything, let’s see if there’s a first time for everything else.
Here Saturday night, a Grant High football team won its 10th game in a season for the first time in the school’s long history, improving to 10-0 with a workmanlike 24-13 victory over pesky Chicago Simeon in the first round of the IHSA Class 6A playoffs.
Next up for the Bulldogs is a Round of 16 home game next Friday or Saturday against Lemont from the far southwest suburbs. Lemont is best-known for being the city where the PGA Tour’s Western Open golf tournament used to be held. It now also is home to a high-scoring football team that KO’d Highland Park 48-35 on Saturday evening.
No Grant football team has ever won a second-round game in the IHSA playoffs, but opportunity will definitely be knocking next weekend.
Certainly, the Bulldogs can win if they put forth the effort they did against Simeon, a deceiving team from the hapless Chicago Public League that actually was better than most people thought.
Fortunately, Grant had quarterback Pavel “The Horse” Zurkowski on its side. “The Horse” ran 64 yards on the Bulldogs’ first play of the game to set up a field goal, raced 36 yards for the touchdown that put Grant ahead to stay at 10-7, and threw a TD pass as he played what Grant coach Kurt Rous called “his usual outstanding game.”
Also playing outstanding ball was Grant’s defense.
Handicapped by the one-game suspension leveled against four starters, Grant got superior performances from players who don’t usually see the field until victory was assured.
But when needed, guys like sophomore linebacker Dan Hourihan, and defensive backs Javier Velasquez and Justin Cokefair put what they’ve learned in practice into play to help shut down Simeon’s high-powered offense.
Simeon QB Jack Ramsey is reportedly being recruited to play at the University of Illinois. What wasn’t evident on Saturday night was why.
He completed 4 of 13 passes for 37 yards, and showed flashes of brilliance as a Vince Young-type QB only on Simeon’s opening drive when he had runs of 29 and 30 yards for the Wolverines’ 7-play, 69-yard scoring drive.
The rest of the time, he was running for his life, throwing off-balance and generally playing like a guy trying to survive against a better team.
Which is what Grant was on this night.
After Simeon pulled within 17-13 in the third quarter, Grant’s defense – led by brilliant defensive end Bobby Madiener, who really needs to be accounted for on every snap – forced two consecutive three-and-outs before Grant drove for the game-clinching score in the final minutes.
Also contributing to the 10th straight win were running backs Joe Loris and Jim Liles, as well as tight end Dan Goodman, who caught a 39-yard TD pass when Simeon was caught with everybody in the box trying to stop Zurkowski’s running.
For the game, “The Horse” finished with 106 rushing yards, although he did take three huge losses on sacks. Plow horse Israel Rodriguez had 19 carries for 72 yards.
Special-teams play also keyed the win.
Kicker Kevin Katchmar drilled a 35-yard field goal, and made three straight extra points.
Grant also recovered an onside kick that led to the second-quarter TD pass. That meant the game score changed from 7-3 in favor of Simeon to 17-7 in favor of Grant without Simeon running an offensive play.
Zurkowski was 7 of 10 passing for 87 yards in the game. He worked effectively as his two starting wideouts were among the players watching the game in street clothes for a violation of team rules.
Those players will be back next weekend.
And, in case you’re wondering, Grant will play at either Oswego or at Prairie Ridge in Crystal Lake in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A playoffs the second weekend in November.
