THE SKINNY
Before the game, Zion-Benton celebrated the 25th anniversary of the school’s only unbeaten (regular season) team (1988) and then treated the big Homecoming crowd that included many of the ‘88 Z-B players to its first win of the season, 34-14 over Mundelein. Zion wore the actual jerseys that were worn by that 1988 team. After the game, the jerseys were given to the 1988 players.
TURNING POINT
On the final play of the first half, Zion’s Deryk Ruple kicked a 30-yard field goal to give the Zee-Bees a 15-14 lead. On the first play from scrimmage after the second-half kickoff. Zion’s Eric Gilmore raced 75 yards to the house to make it 22-14. Then, after a Mundelein three-and-out, Zion drove 50 yards in 10 plays, with QB Doug Gates scoring from the 2-yard line with 7:15 left in the third period to make it 28-14.
THE STAR
Eric Gilmore carried the ball eight times for 139 yards and scored on second-half runs of 75 and 35 yards to break the game open for the Zee-Bees (1-4, 1-2 North Suburban Lake).
BY THE NUMBERS
Zion quarterback Doug Gates was 10 of 24 passing for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Mundelein’s Chance Lindsey had both of his team’s scores, tallying on a 15-yard run in the first quarter, and a 20-yard pick-six in the second. Leading rushers for the Mustangs (1-4, 0-3) were Matt Hutchinson (16 carries, 59 yards) and Emmanuel Jones (10-57). QB Gavin Graves was 2 of 21 passing for 18 yards and one interception. He had a string of 16 incompletions, but his receivers did have some drops.
QUOTABLE
“It feels really good. We’ve had so many hiccups along the way and we were a little jittery at the beginning tonight. I think we found our groove offensively and that really helped. We have fives goals (going into each game) and we reached four of them tonight. That’s the first time this year we’ve done that.” — Z-B coach Bob Strickland
