Gregory's play lifts Simeon past Dunbar

Updated: March 22, 2011 5:30PM

The margin of error on Robert Gregory is so narrow, he turns even the most subtle of a defense's mistakes into their worst nightmare.

The star Simeon junior quarterback again bolstered his campaign for Player of the Year in an extraordinary and dazzling performance against rival Dunbar Friday night at Gately Stadium.

The first time he touched the ball, Gregory burst 77 yards for a touchdown run. The first time he attempted a pass, he threw a 72-yard touchdown pass. His second passing attempt resulted in a 67-yard touchdown pass.

Gregory 292 yards of total offense and five touchdowns paved the way for the No. 5 Wolverines' 63-32 victory over the Mighty Men. Gregory threw touchdown passes of 67 and 16 yards to Demarius Reed and the 72-yard strike to Cywettnie Brown.

He was incredibly efficient, needing just four carries for the 114 yards rushing and completing 5 of 8 attempts for 178 yards passing.

Yet, he was haunted by his one mistake, an interception late in the second quarter that marked the only Simeon possession that did not result in a score. "I'd give myself a B," Gregory said. "Just for that one throw."

The scoreboard operator rarely had a chance to blink. From Eric Dickson's 80-yard opening kickoff return to Gregory's impressive run, the game featured an astonishing seven touchdowns in the opening quarter.

"We have a lot of confidence that we can move the ball on anybody," Gregory said.

Gregory's spectacular all-around game catapulted Simeon (6-0, 3-0 Illini Red Bird) to a 42-18 lead at the break. Simeon senior running back Horactio Banks (nine carries, 183 yards, three touchdowns) added touchdown jaunts of 11 and 22 yards in the first half. He punctuated the victory with a 55-yard touchdown gallop down the right sideline less than a minute into the fourth quarter.

Behind its own superb quarterback Darvell Harris (275 yards total offense, three touchdowns), Dunbar (2-4, 1-2) made the game interesting for a quarter and a half. Harris threw a touchdown pass to Omar Collins and scored on a 25-yard touchdown run. He added a late 70-yard touchdown pass to his brother, Travon Harris. Martez Jackson returned a fumble return in the closing seconds to make the score more respectable.

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