HUNTLEY -- In a game where the word shootout would be a drastic understatement, Huntley topped Batavia 70-63 Friday night in the highest-scoring football game in state playoff history.
The teams combined for 1,324 yards of total offense and a pair of punts and a pair of turnovers were the only possessions of the game that did not result in touchdowns.
"I've never seen anything like this game tonight. I've never even heard of anything like this game tonight," said Huntley senior Jordan Neukirch.
Huntley (9-1) did virtually all of its damage in this Class 6A first-round game on the ground with 702 of its 710 total yards coming on 53 carries for an average of better than 13 yards per attempt.
Neukirch led the way for Huntley with 23 carries for 265 yards and touchdown runs of 81, 11, 11 and the eventual game-winning run of 13 yards with 40 seconds left in the game.
"I saw a guy over-pursuing so I cut back and ran as fast as I could for the touchdown," said the Illinois State University recruit.
Not to be outdone, Neukirch's running mate, Brett Kleckner, had an equally impressive night. He finished with 246 yards on 12 carries and TD scampers of 31, 24, 80 and 49 yards.
"We felt all night that if we kept the ball on the ground there wasn't a whole lot we couldn't do," said Kleckner. "The line just kept pushing up front every play."
Even Huntley quarterback Brandon Luczak broke the century mark on the ground with 141 yards on only eight carries and a pair of TD runs of 21 and 63 yards.
"You know, tonight was the first night that we didn't have a running back hurt. It's the first time we've been able to rotate them the way we wanted to," said Huntley coach Steve Graves.
Batavia (6-4) had a slightly more balanced offensive attack, led by quarterback Jordan Coffey, who completed 24 of 35 passes for 417 yards and four TDs. J.R. Kabba led the way on the ground with 21 carries for 142 yards and four scores. Tyler Lyndquist was the Bulldogs' top receiver with 10 catches for 139 yards.
"They were a great offensive team with a really good quarterback and our defense just couldn't stop them tonight," said Neukirch.
Huntley seemed to have the game wrapped up when the Red Raiders took a 63-49 lead on a 49-yard Kleckner score in the fourth quarter.
But Batavia answered with a Kabba touchdown run. The Bulldogs then recovered an onside kick and scored again to tie the game at 63 with 3:22 left.
Following a short return on the ensuing kickoff, Huntley took over on its own 14-yard line. The Raiders needed only eight plays, including a big third-and-one conversion run by David Conrad, to notch the winning score.
The Red Raiders advance to face Grant (7-3), a 32-31, double-overtime upset winner over Vernon Hills on Friday night. Huntley will be the road team in that matchup.
The previous record for most points in a state playoff game was set Nov. 9, 2001. Joliet Catholic defeated Riverside-Brookfield 56-50 in a Class 5A third-round contest.
Huntley's point total was the fourth most for a single team in state playoff history. Joliet Catholic set the mark in a 76-0 shutout win over Crane in the first round on Oct. 29, 2004.
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