Even after turning its speed loose for several plays against Cary-Grove, Huntley needed one subtle intangible Friday to avoid losing a 23-point lead.
The trust senior quarterback Eric Mooney showed in a less-experienced teammate went a long way toward achieving victory.
Mooney ran for three touchdowns, passed for two and led a key drive in the fourth quarter to lock away a 41-32 Fox Valley Conference victory for the host Red Raiders.
“When we were up three, we knew we needed to score again and put it away,” Mooney said. “Great drive by the offensive line then.”
Huntley (4-1, 4-1) drove 66 yards for the clinching points after Cary-Grove (3-2, 3-2) scored 20 straight to pull within 35-32. And Mooney’s confidence in reserve receiver Davis Pasco made all the difference.
A wide-open Pasco had dropped a deep second-and-7 pass. But Mooney gave him a vote of confidence in the huddle and it paid off the next play. Mooney rolled left, threw as he was flattened, and Pasco juggled it before making a 16-yard catch to extend the drive.
Mooney ran in from 13 yards five plays later to end Cary-Grove’s momentum.
“He (Pasco) came back from that drop and did what a championship player does,” Mooney said. “He made a drop and I went up to him and was like, ‘Hey man, you can make that catch 10 out of 10 times. Are you ready for this?’
“The very next play he came across the middle for an outstanding catch.”
Justin Allen’s fourth-down sack of Cary-Grove’s Quinn Priester with 2:12 left salted away a game Huntley once led 35-12.
“We never wanted it to be that close, but we just said at halftime it was 0-0,” Huntley coach Matt Zimolzak said. “They’re a good team. I’m proud of how we came through.”
Mooney had an 80-yard TD run around left end on the second play from scrimmage, a 1-yard TD run and TD passes of 46 and 72 yards to Michael Boland. Mooney completed 6 of 14 passes for 196 yards and rushed for 194 yards on 22 carries.
Huntley had 316 yards after only 13 plays.
“It happened we broke a couple long plays and got the momentum real quick,” Mooney said. “And that’s just evidence of the speed we’ve got on our offensive side.”
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Running back Melvin Aninagyei-Bonsu broke a tackle with a stiff-arm and bolted 72 yards for a 28-12 lead, and Mooney’s 1-yard TD gave Huntley its biggest edge.
“We just have a great, dynamic offense, and defense, too,” said Aninagyei-Bonsu, who finished with 116 yards on nine carries.
But Cary-Grove wore down the defense with ball control, running off 72 plays to 47 by the Red Raiders. Huntley needed Mooney to find Pasco to make a clinching score possible.
“When you get every opposing defense overloading the box, trying to stop Melvin and Eric, it kind of opens up the back end of things,” Zimolzak said. “When they want to go one on one with our receivers, Eric can get them the ball.
“That’s the game plan.”
And Huntley had the trust to make it work.
Twitter @genechamberlai2
Week 5 highlights
Crystal Lake South 56, Dundee-Crown 34: Ricky Ibarra scored on runs of 1, 15 and 6 yards, but Dundee-Crown (1-4, 0-4) couldn’t protect a 26-21 halftime lead in a Fox Valley loss.
Elgin 42, Streamwood 20: Trevon Morris ran for TDs of 1 and 69 yards and caught a 22-yard TD pass from Kristan Flowers to lead Elgin (2-3, 1-1) to the Upstate Eight River win. Flowers added a TD run and a second TD pass of 40 yards to Xavier Bonds. Brendon Marton threw for a TD and ran for one for Streamwood (0-5, 0-3).
Geneva 50, Larkin 24: Kindrel Morris rushed for 225 yards and a TD, but Larkin (2-3, 0-2) fell in the Upstate Eight River.
IC Catholic 56, St. Edward 13: St. Edward (3-2, 0-1) couldn’t score on offense in a Metro Suburban Blue loss to the defending Class 3A state champions. St. Edward’s Nick Wright had a 58-yard fumble return for a TD and an 81-yard kick return TD.
Jacobs 27, McHenry 3: Loren Strickland ran for 126 yards on 14 attempts and scored TDs of 3 and 2 yards, while Stephen Kavanaugh had 105 yards on 20 carries with a TD in the Fox Valley win by Jacobs (3-2, 3-2).
Prairie Ridge 63, Bartlett 7: Bartlett (1-4) had a 76-yard TD run from Malik Whitehead.