Zion-Benton football coach Bob Moynihan knew he had something pretty special the very first day of summer workouts.
But there’s no way he could have seen this coming — a 34-point second quarter in a 58-15 season-opening victory Friday night over Westosha Central from Salem, Wis.
The Zee-Bees actually spotted Westosha a 7-0 lead six minutes in, and then went on a tear to put the game away by halftime.
Terrance (T.J.) Brister’s 45-yard TD run and quarterback D’Andre Green’s two-point conversion run just two plays after Westosha’s score gave Zion the lead for good at 8-7.
Then came the second quarter.
With 11:38 on the clock, Green scored on a 10-yard run for a 16-7 lead. At 7:50, Deandre Green’s 35-yard run made it 22-7. With 6:03 to play, Brister scored on a 14-yard run for a 28-7 lead. With 5:46 left, Zion got a safety when a Westosha snap sailed over the quarterback’s head and out of the end zone to make it 30-7.
On the ensuing free kick, Taiveyon Victorian ran 58 yards for a TD to make it 38-7. Brister then completed the 34-point quarter and 44-point half with a 27-yard run with 26 seconds left.
And when Brister returned the second-half kickoff 75 yards for a TD, it was 52-7. The rest of the game was played with a running clock.
Zion’s final score came on an 8-yard pass from Joseph Powell to Dinario Hickman.
Brister needed just seven carries to gain 107 yards. His four TDs led the team. Green carried six times for 52 yards and was 2-for-2 passing, with Nick Reed catching both throws.
Defensively, Isaiah Vance had a pair of sacks. Zion scored on seven of its 10 possessions and the first team did not turn the ball over.
“I have to give credit to my offensive line,” Brister said. “They did a great job creating holes for me to run through tonight. We had a nice flow on the offensive side, and I am really happy to get our first win. We’re definitely looking forward to next week (Waukegan at home on Friday night).”
The biggest smile on campus belonged to Moynihan, who thought this could happen with this offense and saw it happen with his own eyes.
“T.J. is a really good running back. He doesn’t get mentioned a whole lot, but I think that will change,” Moynihan said. “He showed his speed and ability to make plays.”
As for Green’s field leadership, the coach couldn’t be happier.
“He is a tremendous asset to have. He turns bad plays into great plays and we saw that a couple times tonight. He is a great leader offensively.”
Zion ran just 31 plays, and had nine penalties.
“Defensively, we have a lot of talent,” Moynihan said. “We kept it pretty vanilla, but we are very talented on both sides of the ball.”
Phlllyp Bonato is a freelance writer for the News-Sun.
FRIDAY NGHT FOOTBALL
Antioch 52, Kenosha Tremper (Wis.) 20
Carmel at Waukesha West (Wis.), late
Crystal Lake Central 48, Grant 12
Dunbar at Lake Forest, late
Larkin at Mundelein, late
Libertyville 55, Elk Grove 28
Grayslake Central at Vernon Hills, late
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Grayslake North 31, Lakes 26
Harlan at Deerfield, late
Hersey 41, Highland Park 34
Alleman 40, Lake Forest Academy 22
Fremd 10, Lake Zurich 7
Richmond-Burton 28, Wauconda 21
Stevenson 26, Palatine 24
Warren at Lyons, late
Zion-Benton 58, Westosha Central 15
Woodstock 37, Round Lake 3
SATURDAY FOOTBALL
North Chicago at Waukegan, 1:30
FRIDAY NIGHT QUICK HITS
ANTIOCH 52, KENOSHA TREMPER 20
Griffin Hill (18 carries, 143 yards) scored on runs of 23, 42 and 11 yards, and Michael Dorason carried 17 times for 100 yards in the win. Ben Gutke had a 35-yard field goal and returned a blocked punt 21 yards for a score, and Matt Adams had a 48-yard fumble return, and Mondoche Kamanga a 30-yard pick six.
GRAYSLAKE NORTH 31, LAKES 26
With star QB Merick Gentile out for the year (ACL) Jacob Wright stepped up and was 14-for-25 for 245 yards, two TDs and no picks in the win. Dami Oladunmoye (22 carries, 177 yards, 2 TDs) led the Knights’ ground game. Jordan Mercur was 14-for-23 for 233 yards and three TDs for Lakes.
WOODSTOCK 37, ROUND LAKE 3
Alan Espinosa’s 32-yard field goal on the last play of the first half was Round Lake only scoring play. Jacob Sumner had TD runs of 41 and 63 yards for the winners..
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