Stay Connected with YourSeason
Simeon’s Gregory too much for Curie
Updated: September 26, 2011 11:48AM
With injuries to key players, this has become a season of survival for Simeon and Curie, two of the Public League’s premier football programs.
Curie is adjusting to life without Iowa recruit Maurice Fleming, whose prep career has ended prematurely because of a torn ACL. Two of Simeon’s marquee players, quarterback Robert Gregory (collarbone) and linebacker Shaquille Joyner (Achilles), have been slowed but not stopped by injuries as well.
But No. 20 Simeon got enough big plays from its big players on Saturday night to knock off Curie 42-12 at Gately Stadium.
Gregory’s first two carries went for 52 and 41 yards, and he finished with 13 rushes for 139 yards and one touchdown. He also was 5 of 11 passing for 85 yards and a pair of touchdowns, both to Cywettnie Brown, as the Wolverines (3-2, 2-0 Red Bird) built a 28-0 lead early in the third quarter.
“The offensive line did a good job,” Gregory said. “I’m just starting to get back my full running motion. It felt good. I’m improving week by week.”
Gregory missed one game, Simeon’s Week 2 loss to Jefferson City, Mo., and was limited in several others. That, combined with the turnover in his receiving corps this season, has meant the Wolverines’ passing game hasn’t been as crisp as coach Dante Culbreath would like.
“We’re getting there,” Culbreath said. “We had the people open today, we dropped some balls, That set us back a little bit. Things like that happen, but we’ve got to be able to regroup and get points on the board.”
Gregory hit Brown with a 20-yard scoring pass to give Simeon a 7-0 lead with 9:24 left in the first quarter and dashed 41 yards on the Wolverines’ next offensive play for another score, making it 13-0 at the 8:08 mark.
Joyner did his part early as well, getting a pair of takeaways to help keep Curie’s offense in check until the second half. He intercepted a pass in the first quarter and recovered a fumble in the second period that led to Simeon’s third touchdown, a 33-yard run by Sharoid Roach with 10:34 to play in the second quarter.
“We’re just trying to get Shaq healthy,” Culbreath said. “He moved pretty [well], better than he did last week.”
Roach made it 28-0 with a seven-yard touchdown run in the first minute of the second half, a score set up by his own 43-yard carry.
Curie (3-2, 1-1) got within 28-12 early in the fourth quarter after Kevonta McIntyre’s two-yard scoring run and his 37-yard touchdown pass to LaVonte Jones. But Simeon put the game away with Gregory’s 28-yard scoring pass to Brown and Jordan Jackson’s three-yard touchdown run.
McIntyre had 30 carries for 108 yards.
© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.
Cell Phone Alerts
Comments Click here to view or make a comment