To open DuKane Conference play, Wheaton North did an impression of a “Madden NFL” player who almost entirely calls runs.

That strategy can work if you have a good running back. In this case, it was Max Serbick.

With quarterback Jake Johnson out with an injury, the Falcons fed Serbick early and often, and his 308 yards and three touchdowns on 48 carries made the difference in a 30-20 win over Lake Park on Friday at Rexilius Field.

“I mean, I was just ready to step up,” Serbick said. “I was ready to lead the team. I was ready to take them on my back.”

Neither team scored on its first possession, but George Tzamouranis (121 yards on 21-of-28 passing) drew first blood for the Lancers when he reached the end zone for the only score of the opening quarter.

Serbick began the second quarter with a 19-yard game-tying touchdown on the first play. He scored again from 6 yards out exactly three minutes later after the Falcons (2-1, 1-0) gained a short field when a Tzamouranis pass was deflected and then recovered by Rob Razzino.

The Lancers (2-1, 0-1) also benefited from a short field before halftime. On the first play after 21 straight carries by Serbick that the Falcons gave the ball to someone else, they fumbled and Brady Sierra recovered for Lake Park. The drive ended on a Joey Michelini 2-yard touchdown run to put his team back up front, 14-13.

Wheaton North opened up its offense on its final possession of the half as Burke Neibch completed three passes for 63 yards. The ball then went back to Serbick, and although he was stuffed on back-to-back runs at the goal line, Ryan Chrusciel hit a chip-shot field goal to give the Falcons a 16-14 lead at the break.

The Falcons returned to their original offensive game plan to begin the second half. The drive, which took more than seven minutes, saw Sebrick run on every play except one, and he got a 21-yard touchdown out of it.

“(Max) was having such a productive night out there, it’s hard to take the ball out of his hands,” Wheaton North coach Joe Wardynski said.

Lake Park was more efficient on its first drive of the half, needing over four minutes to respond with a Kendan Ratini 1-yard touchdown run, which was set up by a 29-yard Tzamouranis completion to Niko Menos (80 yards on seven receptions). That cut the score to 23-20.

A 20-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Neibch to Tyler Kading (two receptions, 54 yards) put the Falcons in complete command. Afterwards, their defense forced a punt and a turnover on downs, snuffing out the Lancers’ hopes.

“We got in a game tonight where it was a classic DuKane game,” said Lake Park coach Chris Kirkpatrick. “It was kind of power football vs. power football, and they came out on top.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250912/prep-football/serbick-carries-wheaton-north-to-victory-over-lake-park-with-308-yards-3-tds/