On a day where he topped the 2,000-yard, single-season rushing mark and scored his 24th and 25th touchdowns of the year, all Glenbard North tailback Donato Gatses wanted to talk about was the play of his offensive line and defense.

Gatses, a senior, carried the ball 33 times for 233 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help lead the Panthers to a 22-14 victory over Moline in Saturday’s second round of the Class 7A football playoffs in Carol Stream.

“I couldn’t do it without my offensive line,” said Gatses of a group that includes tackles John Kramaric, Michal Borzymowski, guards Daniel Mahoney, Wrigley Zamora, center Mason Bebar, tight ends Tyler Hvorcik, Kristian D’Alexander, and fullback Lucas Kramer.

“I give all my credit to the line. I don’t get those yards without them.”

After a 3-and-out defensive series, the Panthers (8-3) got on the board first when Gatses capped a 5-play, 62-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0 with 8:40 left in the opening quarter.

The biggest play of the drive was a 44-yard pass from quarterback Kyle Melody (7 of 12, 153 yards) to senior receiver Zechariah Morris (5 catches, 137 yards).

Moline (9-2) came away empty on a pair of first-half possessions inside Glenbard territory.

Senior defensive back Darien Havard ended the first threat with an interception inside the 10-yard line late in the first quarter, and the Maroons missed a 23-yard field goal attempt wide right midway through the second quarter.

From there, the Panthers capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive with quarterback Melody’s 12-yard touchdown run around the right side.

Moline’s Jaxson Soliz blocked the PAT attempt, leaving the Panthers with a 13-0 halftime advantage.

“We ran the ball and threw the ball well in the first half,” Panthers coach Ryan Wilkens said.

Receiving the second-half kickoff, Glenbard North seized control with a 4-play, 82-yard drive capped by Gatses’ 6-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 19-0.

Once again, Morris contributed to the drive with a 41-yard reception on a 2nd-and-7 play near midfield.

Moline got on the board late in the third quarter on an 18-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kasen Ponder (10 of 24, 131 yards) to TJ Schebler.

Morris’ 46-yard punt return led to Anthony Gibson’s 22-yard field goal, extending the margin to 22-7 with 9:02 remaining.

“Throwing him quick passes and watching him run, or the post route, or the punt return, he stretches the field like nobody else,” Wilkens said of Morris.

The Maroons made things interesting when Eli Warren’s 1-yard TD run narrowed the gap to 22-14 with 1:37 left.

Luke Ramirez recovered the subsequent onside kick near midfield, and Gatses’ 48-yard run sealed the decision in the final seconds.

“Luckily, we were able to seal it with that last run,” Wilkens said.

Glenbard North will face DuKane Conference rival Batavia in a quarterfinal next Saturday.

“It means a lot going from winless two years ago to winning two (playoff) games now,” Morris said. “I guarantee nobody expected it. We have a great group of guys here.