Host Grayslake North clinched a tie for its first-ever Fox Valley Fox conference football title and won its seventh straight game by throttling crosstown rival Grayslake Central 49-7 on Friday night.
The Knights (7-1, 5-0) will be the outright champs if they beat Woodstock North next week.
Grayslake Central (2-6, 1-5) did not surrender without a fight.
On the game’s first possession, the Rams’ Natori Galmore raced 74 yards for a touchdown to give his team a 7-0 lead. But by halftime, North was in control at 21-7 as Anthony Diggs scored on a 19-yard pass from A.J. Fish. Fish ran six yards for a score and Titus Booker ran three yards for a score in the final minute.
In the second half, it was all Fish. The senior, who will play lacrosse next year at the University of Virginia, scored on runs of 2 and 44 yards, and threw touchdown passes of 43 yards (to Vincent Smith) and 19 yards (to Charlie Pine) to complete the scoring.
For the game, Fish rushed 17 times for 152 yards and three touchdowns.
Fish completed 13-of-17 passes for 216 yards and three scores. His final touchdown pass moved the game into running-clock mode.
This is the first Grayslake North team to win more than five games in a season.
“We had a slow start, but a fast finish,” said Knights coach Steve Wood. “We may have been a little overconfident, but I’m happy with the way we responded and rebounded.
“In the second half, we were pretty much able to move the ball at will, and I think our defense played well in the second half.”
