CARPENTERSVILLE – All Jacobs wanted to do was get back on the field.
Practicing with a bitter taste in their mouths all week after a season-opening loss to Huntley, the Golden Eagles hit the road to take on rival Dundee-Crown on Friday night, hoping to get on the winning track.
Stephen Kavanaugh scored three touchdowns as Jacobs dominated from start to finish in a 57-12 victory over the Chargers in Fox Valley Conference play.
"You learn a lot about your team when you go through [losses like Huntley]," Jacobs coach Bill Mitz said. "You can make great strides from week one to two and I thought we definitely did that here tonight."
Schutt-ing the door
With less than a minute remaining in the first half, Jacob had D-C pinned inside its own 5-yard line and a fourth-down punting situation.
As the Chargers snapped the ball, already trailing, 29-0, senior defensive lineman Eric Schutt found his way through the defense and blocked the punt. The ball rolled out of the back of the end zone for a safety just before halftime.
A loud statement made by the Golden Eagles (1-1, 1-1 FVC) in the opening 24 minutes ended just the same way
"Everyone did their jobs tonight," Schutt said. "We needed to get this win under our belts. We had this fire all week during practice and it showed coming out here."
Wilson's big first half
Jacobs quarterback Anthony Wilson shared all of his teammates' feelings of anxiousness to get on the field Friday night.
It showed during his play as the junior completed 12 of 14 passes in the first half for 203 yards and a touchdown. He also ran in a score from 4 yards out on the last play of the half.
"There's no question it was in the back of our minds," Wilson said of his team's mindset. "But at the same time, we wanted to forget about it and move forward. We talked about starting fast tonight and we came out and made a statement."
Don't forget the defense
While the Golden Eagles put up an impressive 57 points, it was just as important for Mitz to see his defense makes strides. Jacobs shut out D-C (0-2, 0-2) in the first half, holding the Chargers to 40 yards of offense.
One bright spot for D-C was running back Ricky Ibarra, who finished with one of his team's two touchdowns, carrying the ball 20 times for 112 yards.
Aside from Ibarra’s production, D-C found it difficult against a stout Golden Eagles defensive unit that forced two turnovers, including an interception by Caleb Walker.