Prospect senior running back Matthew Donnelly, an integral part of the Knights’ high-scoring offense, opted to go low Friday night against visiting Rolling Meadows.

Low, as in changing his uniform number from 26 to 0.

Senior teammate Nick Lies, a defensive back who used to sport that uniform number, suffered a season-ending injury (broken collarbone) against Buffalo Grove on Sept. 26, and Donnelly wanted to honor him.

“(Donnelly) looks much better wearing ‘0’ than I did,” a smiling Lies said.

Zero had zero chance of being part of Friday’s final score. Reigning Mid-Suburban League East champion Prospect had entered the game having outscored its first six opponents by a combined 304-96.

RM’s point differential was 300-74.

Prospect, on the night the Knights’ 2005 Class 7A state championship football team was honored before the kickoff, edged RM 35-32 at George Gattas Memorial Stadium behind junior quarterback Jackson Cacini’s five touchdown passes, including three in the first half that covered 85, 42 and 8 yards.

He finished 16 of 22 for 300 yards, as Prospect won its fifth straight game and improved to 6-1 overall (3-0 in the MSL East).

Two of Cacini’s targets, senior wideouts Nathan Cichy (two TDs) and Devin Gerdes (two TDs), eclipsed the 100-yard mark in receiving yards. Cichy finished with seven receptions for 158 yards, and Gerdes needed only three catches to amass 110 yards.

“Jackson is super poised, and he always looks balanced (when he drops back),” said Knights coach Dan DeBoeuf, whose squad defeated host RM 41-14 last fall.

Donnelly (20 rushes, game-high 89 yards) caught Cacini’s other scoring toss, an 8-yarder that gave the hosts a 20-14 lead with 6.3 seconds left in the first half.

“We didn’t have our best week of practice — that showed tonight,” admitted Donnelly. “But we won this one because we played within ourselves. Our ‘one play at a time’ mindset helped.”

Cacini’s counterpart, RM senior co-captain Joe Brigham, also produced quite an aerial show, completing 27 of 36 passes for 312 yards and 2 TDs. He rushed for the Mustangs’ other 2 TDs, both (6 yards, 1 yard) coming in the second half when RM trailed 28-17 at the 3:17 mark of the third quarter and 35-24 with 7:14 left in the fourth.

Mustangs junior kicker Alexandur Zara booted a 25-yard field goal in the third quarter, narrowing Prospect’s lead to 21-17.

“For us, all year, we look to have a winning moment, whether we’re up big or down big,” said first-year Mustangs coach Devonte Amos after his crew slipped to 5-2, 2-1. “It’s that next-play mentality.

“We wanted to play well all four quarters, and we did that tonight. Our heart — that stood out to me. I almost feel like we didn’t lose; we just ran out of time.”

RM senior wideout Jack Andersen had six receptions for 78 yards, including a one-handed 26-yard TD catch in the first quarter that wowed all and a 7-yard scoring grab in the second quarter. Mustangs senior wide receiver Jake Harvey came down with six catches for 69 yards, and senior tight end Sean Kerr finished with five receptions for 39 yards.

Mustangs senior wideout Donovan Hunter suffered a serious knee injury in the first half after snaring a trio of passes for 37 yards.

Among the entertaining game’s other highlights was senior defensive back Joseph Lobue first-half interception.

Next Friday, Prospect visits Hersey (5-2, 3-0), and RM travels to Wheeling (1-6, 0-3).

https://www.dailyherald.com/20251010/prep-football/prospect-takes-shootout-over-rolling-meadows-behind-cacinis-5-tds/