A quarterback’s work is never done, even when he’s not feeling well.
Junior quarterback Eric Mooney and Huntley’s offense didn’t take the proverbial foot off the accelerator Saturday in the second round of the Class 8A playoffs, and it proved a wise decision because Fremd’s offense didn’t, either.
Huntley outlasted Fremd 38-30 as Mooney threw for 180 yards and rushed for 143, and the Red Raiders defense produced one game-changing play.
“We played three quarters of great football,” Mooney said. “That last quarter wasn’t pretty, but we still got it done.”
If the fourth quarter lacked the luster of the first three for Huntley (8-3), it was entirely on the defensive side. Fremd (7-4) kept right on scoring after Huntley took a 24-3 lead in the third quarter, so every Huntley point proved big.
Mooney threw a short bootleg pass that Ryan Antonsen turned into a 42-yard touchdown with 5:22 remaining for a 31-10 lead. It seemed to clinch a quarterfinal berth at home for Huntley against Loyola on Saturday.
“We definitely were setting that play up,” Mooney said. “That was a huge play for us. We were running it and running it and running it. Finally, they stepped up, and we came out with that play.
“We knew we had them set up.”
But quarterback Tom Josten kept throwing TD passes. He had three in the fourth quarter to keep alive Fremd’s hopes.
Mooney responded by running around right end 43 yards for a TD with 3:52 remaining to give the Red Raiders a 38-15 lead, and all Fremd’s late scoring did was make the final outcome appear closer.
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Tyler Szekely recovered an onside kick with 1:42 left, and Huntley ran out the clock.
“Eric Mooney was under the weather, had all kinds of Pedialyte to get him hydrated, and ended up playing pretty well,” Huntley coach Matt Zimolzak said. “When the adrenaline is flowing, that’s when the real competitors step up, and that’s the kind of competitor we have in Eric Mooney.”
Mooney put Huntley ahead 7-0 with a 4-yard TD run in the first quarter.
Then the Red Raiders defense produced a play that made their day easier. Cornerback Tyler Koss picked off Josten’s slant pass and ran it back 26 yards for a TD and a 14-0 lead.
“I read it and jumped the route,” Koss said. “We definitely saw that early in the game their quarterback was getting the ball out of his hands really quick and throwing it up, and we just said we needed to capitalize.”
It was the first of two first-half interceptions by Koss. Josten completed 24 of 44 passes for 285 yards, with all but 41 yards in the second half.
“At the beginning of the year, we weren’t coming out ready to play,” Zimolzak said about his defense. “I think we’ve turned that corner. That was a huge interception.
“We just need to be able to make better adjustments in the fourth quarter.”
Huntley expanded its lead to 24-3 with a 20-yard field goal by Chase Zion midway through the second quarter and a 3-yard TD run by Carter Beaudette in the third quarter before Fremd’s offense came to life.
Illinois recruit Olalere Oladipo, a defensive lineman, played only part time for Huntley because of an ankle injury. The defense adjusted but wore down by game’s end.
“We didn’t want to put in anything we didn’t practice all week and get them in a bad position,” Zimolzak said. “So we stayed with what we were doing, knowing we may give up a point or two.”
Twitter @genechamberlai2