Huntley rolls against Dundee-Crown to clinch share of FVC title

CARPENTERSVILLE – With a spot in the playoffs already locked in, Huntley still had plenty to play for Friday as it traveled to Dundee-Crown. The Red Raiders clearly wanted to claim their share of a Fox Valley Conference championship and they did just that in an emphatic 49-13 victory.

‘I’m very happy for our guys, they really stepped up, they did what they needed to do and we played really well down the stretch,” Huntley coach Matt Zimolzak said.

GIVE ME FIVE

Huntley (8-1, 8-1) junior Ryder Havens had a night most running backs only dream about. Havens found the end zone five times in the first half, scoring on runs of 2, 45 and 8 yards in the first quarter and from 6 and 14 yards in the second quarter.

“Scoring five touchdowns was an amazing experience,” Havens said. “Credit goes to the receivers and linemen for blocking so well. There were times when I saw the hole, and I didn’t have to do much other than run through the opening.”

Havens finished 169 yards on 15 carries.

Havens wasn’t the only Red Raider that put points on the scoreboard in the first half. Running back Alex Janke ran 44 yards on a one-play drive for another touchdown and then the passing game joined in.

Quarterback Bruno Bosman connected with receiver Cade Whiteside with a 12-yard touchdown pass. Bosman, who ran the offense to near perfection, went 9 -of-10 passing for 101 yards and a touchdown in the first half.

“At the end of the season we have both the passing and running games clicking, our run game opens up the passing game and the passing game opens up the running game,” Bosman said.

While the offense provided the fireworks, the Huntley defense provided the thunder. With five tackles for loss and a sack, Huntley limited Dundee-Crown to 21 yards rushing and 37 yards passing in the first half.

“The game plan was to obviously stop Dundee-Crown but to also continue to work on preparing for what we might see in the playoffs with different types of offenses,” said senior linebacker Rukkus Hunkins, who had two tackles for a loss and a sack.

SPARK FOR THE CHARGERS

Running back Amairie Jones provided some electricity for the Chargers (0-9, 0-9). Jones scored twice on the night with a 9-yard touchdown run right before halftime and then with a 50-yard dash in the fourth quarter.

“It felt amazing tonight, but it isn’t just about me, it’s about our team," said Jones, who had 64 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns.

"Our coaches taught us to play hard, never give up and deal with adversity when it comes at us."

Evan Echlin was 9-of-24 passing for 71 yards for the Chargers. Justin Prusko led Dundee-Crown in receiving with three catches for 22 yards.

PLAYOFF FOCUS

While Huntley took care of business on Friday night, the Raiders know there is plenty of work ahead of them as they move into the playoffs.

“We are playing good football right now, but we aren’t where we need to be,” Bosman said. “We have good camaraderie and great coaching, but we aren’t going to underestimate anyone.”

STAR OF THE GAME

Ryder Havens

Huntley, jr., RB

Havens scored five touchdowns in the first half while gaining 169 yards on 15 carries.

QUICK STATS

Huntley 28 21 0 0 – 49

Dundee-Crown 0 6 0 7 – 13

First quarter

H – Havens 2 run (Vavra kick), 9:45.

H – Havens 45 run (Vavra kick), 7:21.

H – Janke 44 run (Vavra kick), 6:19.

H – Havens 8 run (Vavra kick), 3:23.

Second quarter

H – Whiteside 12 pass from Bosman(Vavra kick), 11:39.

H – Havens 6 run (Vavra kick), 6:53.

H – Havens14 run (Vavra kick), 4:26.

D-C – Jones 9 run (run failed), :18.

Fourth quarter

D-C – Jones 50 run (Alamillo kick), :30.