Buffalo Grove lost its starting quarterback but continued to push toward a playoff berth.
Hersey won the latest in a series of close games to keep its postseason outlook equally bright.
The Bison (3-2, 1-0 Mid-Suburban East) will host the Huskies (3-2, 1-0) in a key conference battle on Thursday night in Buffalo Grove.
“In our league everyone is pretty even,” Buffalo Grove coach Mike DiMatteo said. “One thing we do well is we play pretty well as a team. Everyone has to pull in the same direction. We’re doing a pretty good job of that.”
In their first full game without junior quarterback Trey Cervantes, who suffered a season-ending injury the week before, the Bison pulled out a 21-20 victory over Elk Grove.
Senior quarterback John Maddox accounted for about 200 yards of offense, throwing and rushing for a score, and Buffalo Grove survived a two-point attempt after Elk Grove drew within 21-20 with 51 seconds remaining.
Linebacker Johnny Asquini refused to let the Grenadiers go any further, sacking the quarterback on the two-point conversion play.
“John Maddox took the bull by the horns, and he got some help from his teammates,” DiMatteo said. “Our guys are fighters. I am proud of them for that.”
Hersey continued to protect the end zone well, allowing just one touchdown in its 19-15 victory over Prospect.
Quarterback Eric Portenlanger had his best game of the season, connecting with receiver Cole Monckton eight times for 182 yards and a touchdown.
The Huskies have allowed just 60 points all season, more than half coming in their 32-15 loss at undefeated Barrington.
“They are very disciplined on defense,” DiMatteo said. “They don’t make a whole lot of errors. They are a typical Hersey team: play hard, be very disciplined and wait for you to make a mistake.
“They’ve done a nice job continuing with what they started a few years ago. I expect them to continue to be that way for a while.”
