Jacobs’ Josh Walker a horse, but Trojans of Cary-Grove carry on

Cary-Grove was already off to a stellar start to the season before Friday’s Fox Valley Valley game at Jacobs.

But the Trojans say that their goal is weekly improvement, not the status quo.

“I think we came into the season knowing that we had so many guys returning that the expectations were high from people outside the conference, as well as our own team,” Cary-Grove coach Brad Seaburg said. “We knew we were good to start. What we’ve done is really improve every week. I think that’s all you can ask any group.”

That’s a scary proposition for the rest of the conference, as well as whatever playoff opponents the Trojans may face down the line.

They dominated Jacobs Friday, 49-7, to remain unbeaten. The Trojans rushed for 500 yards, led by a career-high 264 from sophomore Tyler Pennington on only 16 carries.

“It was a fun night,” Pennington said. “We were just trying to get No. 7. We’re just trying to get better. That’s our goal every week. I think we did that [Friday].”

It wasn’t all Pennington, but it was all Cary-Grove all night. The Trojans (7-0, 3-0) got two touchdown runs from three players.

Junior Kevin Hughes scored from 20 and 5 yards out and quarterback Jason Gregoire scored from two and 11 yards out while Pennington was just warming up. Pennington scored on runs of 60 and 29 yards.

“He ran very hard,” Seaburg said. “He had a great week of practice. It doesn’t surprise me that he did what he did.”

It was tough sledding for Jacobs (4-3, 1-2) as Cary-Grove played just about as well defensively as it did offensively with its starters still in the game. The Golden Eagles were down 42-0 before their only score, a 28-yard run from Josh Walker in the third quarter. Jacobs accounted for 247 yards on offense.

“I can’t say enough about them,” Jacobs coach Bill Mitz said. “They’re loaded. They’re very physical. Hat’s off to them. What are you going to say?”

Walker was the lone bright spot for Jacobs, rushing for 144 yards on 13 carries.

“We played real well on defense,” Seaburg said. “Walker is so talented. All it takes is one mishap and he’s gone. We were real disciplined. To hold them to nothing against our starters was really good.”

Cary-Grove rushed for 500 yards on the dot on 54 carries. Hughes had the most behind Pennington, gaining 82 on 12 carries. The Trojans’ final score came on a 30-yard pass from backup quarterback John Sullivan to James Freskos with four seconds left in the third quarter.