Glenbard North went 3-6 this season, but it seemed very possible a DuKane difference might show up in the playoffs.
The Panthers play in one of the most competitive conferences in the suburbs, and they even had two one-point losses along the way.
So they were well-prepared when the buses arrived in Hoffman Estates for an opening-round Class 7A playoff game. Glenbard North moved the ball in every way possible and beat the Hawks 34-20 on Friday night. The Panthers move on to face No. 6 seed Jacobs (8-1) in next week’s first round.
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“I knew we were going to win this game,” Glenbard North quarterback Logan Kramer said. “We were very prepared. I’m so glad we have another week.”
Senior running back Angelo Gatses scored four touchdowns and rushed for 106 yards. Kramer ran for 117 yards and threw for 157.
The biggest pay of the game might have been a 52-yard touchdown heave from Kramer to sophomore Michael Barnes III in the final minute of the first half, boosting the Panthers’ lead to 21-10.
Hoffman Estates made a comeback, driving 80 yards to start the third quarter, then adding a 39-yard field by Simon Howarth to close within 21-20.
But Glenbard North answered right back on a well-designed throwback pass to Gatses, who found plenty of open turf on the way to a 50-yard touchdown that made it 27-20. He said it was a play that they’d never run before.
“Props to our coach,” Gatses said. “That was probably one of my easiest touchdowns. Didn’t get touched on that one. It was a great play call.”
Glenbard North coach Justin Kerwin said there was something similar in concept in the playbook, and he was able to tell the plan to his offense during a timeout.
“We were able to dial it up because Angelo and the boys are so with it,” Kerwin said. “They’re a good mental group. It was pretty cool to see them execute it.”
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After the defense got a stop, the Panthers put the game away with a four-yard Gatses run with 6:16 remaining.
The game moved excruciatingly slow, as the two teams combined for a whopping 31 penalties and used most of their timeouts.
The actual action featured mostly Glenbard North’s long drives and Hoffman Estates’ quick hits in the first half. The Panthers began with a 10-play, 65-yard march, loaded with penalties on both sides, and scored first on a three-yard run by Gatses.
Hoffman Estates went deep on its first offensive play as Shion Dailey hit T.J. Bond in stride for an 80-yard touchdown pass to quickly tie the game.
“I got told today in my last class of the day by my head coach (Tim Heyse),” Bond said. “He was like, ‘Depending on where we get the ball after the first kickoff, if it’s a good setup, we’re going to go deep.’ It worked perfectly.
Glenbard North answered with an 11-play, 79-yard trek, ending with a Gatses two-yard run. Outside of the 80-yard pass, the Hawks managed just 56 yards of offense in the first half. But an interception by Mason Walker set up a 37-yard field goal from Howarth to close the gap to 14-10.
Bond finished with five catches for 124 yards. Dailey completed 12 of 21 passes for 218 yards and an interception.
“Unfortunate loss, but I’m very proud of the season my boys put together,” Bond said. “We fought, gave it all we’ve got at the end there. It was a great season.”