High school football notes: Ibarra, Dunner making Dundee-Crown tough to defend

While an onside kick and a trick play stole the show Saturday in Dundee-Crown’s win over McHenry, 35-21, both D-C running backs put together quality games.

Kareem Dunner rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Ricky Ibarra ran for 125 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Ibarra also caught one pass for 28 yards, earning some hard-fought yards after contact.

All game long – in a game that started Friday, was suspended because of lighting and finished Saturday – the duo picked up short yardage here and there. Eventually, each broke free for a long touchdown run. Dunner had a 67-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Ibarra capped off the victory with a 75-yard score in the final minutes.

“We told them, it’s going to be 3 yards, 2 yards, 3 yards, 2 yards, but you’ve got to keep trusting and not trying to get the big play every time,” D-C coach Mike Steinhaus said. “A couple times [Friday] in the first half, we were trying to make something out of nothing and it was negative plays for us. We were getting behind the chains. [Saturday] they trusted, trusted, trusted and then they brought out the big [runs].”

McHenry coach Jon Niemic didn’t think his team tackled well in the second half Saturday. He noted “good backs like Dunner and Ibarra” are capable of big runs on any play.

Now D-C is 2-0, 1-0 in the Fox Valley Conference, heading into a league game with Jacobs (1-1, 1-1) this Friday. For the second week in a row, D-C erased a two-touchdown deficit. Steinhaus believes its the Chargers’ mentality that enabled those comebacks.

“We’re a senior-heavy group,” Steinhaus said. “They’ve put in a lot. When you put into something and you really care about something, you’re going to do more for it. We haven’t had that in the past. The last time we had that was 2014, when we had 28 seniors on that team.

“These kids really care about playing football. They care for each other. I’m just super proud of them as an alumni, seeing them fight.”

Injury woes: Jacobs offensive tackle Joey Price went down with a right knee injury in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s 42-7 loss to Huntley. Price was on the turf for several minutes before being helped off the field.

Golden Eagles coach Bill Mitz said they would know more about the extent of the injury, possibly by Tuesday after Price had been evaluated by his doctor.

Price (6-8, 325) has numerous NCAA Division I offers and is only his second year of football.

Huntley defensive end Nathan Schupbach left Friday’s game in the first quarter with a broken collarbone, Raiders coach Matt Zimolzak said. Schupbach was injured on the first series when Price was blocking him and the two went to the ground, with Price on top.

Mr. Takeaway: Huntley defensive back Patrick Roppolo intercepted a pass on the first series for his ninth career takeaway, setting the Red Raiders' school record.

Jacobs was facing a first-and-26 when Roppolo jumped an out route and picked off quarterback Anthony Wilson at midfield. His 25-yard return set up the only score of the first half.

• Joe Stevenson contributed to this report.