Cary-Grove ran the triple option attack as if they were in midseason form against St. Charles East on Friday as the host Trojans ran away with a 49-33 win at Al Bohrer Field.
The Saints did get off to a very quick start against Cary-Grove when quarterback Jimmy Mitchell avoided a sack and connected with Brannon Barry from 40 yards out to give St. Charles East a 7-0 lead.
The Trojans answered when senior Ryan Mahoney ran one in from 25 yards out to tie the game.
After St. Charles East went three-and-out on its next drive, the Trojans answered once again. This time it was through the air when quarterback Quinn Baker connected with Mahoney from 47 yards to put Cary-Grove up 14-7.
The Saints wouldn’t go away though as St. Charles East put together a 16-play drive and took advantage of two Trojan penalties to keep the drive alive. Anthony Sciarrino ran one in from one yard out on fourth down to put the Saints within one. This would be the closest the Saints would get the rest of the night after missing the extra point.
The key play of the game was on special teams. After Cary-Grove went up 21-13 in the second quarter, Mickey Duncan blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone to put Cary-Grove up 28-13. This clearly swung the momentum in favor of the Trojans.
“I wanted to get a big play on special teams and got a great angle to block the punt,” said Duncan who also added three sacks on defense. “It really felt like a turning point in the game.”
Saints coach Mike Fields was pleased with his team’s effort against a good Cary-Grove team.
“We were down five starters because of injuries, and the kids didn’t give up,” said Fields. “The blocked punt was a huge momentum swing, but I was pleased with our effort until the end.”
