Rain doesn't ruin parade to playoffs

A late arrival, a steady downpour, two lengthy lightning delays and the Elk Grove defense all couldn't stop Miles Osei and the Prospect football team Friday night.

Despite playing in the sloppiest of conditions, Osei directed the Knights into the end zone on five of their first six possessions, as the visitors walked away with a 34-6 win. One week after throwing for a career-high 329 yards against Wheeling, the junior quarterback completed 10-of-12 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 119 yards and four touchdowns.

With the victory, Prospect (7-2, 5-0 MSL East) closed out its division schedule with an undefeated record and now heads into the postseason on a five-game win streak. The Knights open the Class 7A playoffs at home Saturday against Rockton Hononegah.

"Miles is just a playmaker and he is a leader out there," said senior wide receiver Austin Sobey, who caught five passes for 106 yards and also recorded an interception. "He makes our offense so good because he controls the game well and he is always focused."

The Knights arrived on the field with just four minutes remaining on the clock during pregame warm-ups, but the lack of preparation didn't affect their offensive rhythm. Osei scored the team's first four touchdowns on the ground, including a 63-yard scamper through the heart of EG defense with 3:17 remaining in the second quarter to put Prospect in front 27-0.

After failing to score for the first time on the opening series of the third quarter, Osei needed just one play to again light up the scoreboard. Immediately following junior linebacker Joe Mack's interception of Grenadier sophomore quarterback Nick Meyer (7-of-17, 71 yards), Osei found sophomore wide receiver Peter Bonahoom on a 95-yard touchdown pass to increase the Knights' lead to 34-0.

The team's fifth touchdown was enough for head coach Brent Pearlman to sit his starters for the remainder of the game . The Grens (2-7, 1-4) added a consolation touchdown with 1:04 left on a 1-yard run by senior running back Joe Wimmer.

"As you can see it is a sloppy track out here and hanging onto the ball was hard," said Meyer, who added 48 rushing yards. "They hung onto the ball good, but that is something I have to work on and it was hard to make cuts or choppy steps like that."

After rushing for just 16 yards in the first half, Grenadier senior running back Jake Meyer closed out his high school career with 102 rushing yards on 26 carries while senior wide receiver Matt Kauth added four catches and 34 receiving yards.

Prospect 34

Elk Grove 6

Star Performances

Miles Osei: 282 passing yards, 119 rushing yards, 5 TDs

Austin Sobey: 5-106 receiving, INT

Class 7A Playoff Matchup

Who: Hononegah (7-2) at Prospect (7-2), 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: 801 W. Kensington Road, Mt. Prospect

What's at stake: Home game and overall improved play should help Knights make it past the first round this season. A win sets up a possible showdown with Geneva, a No. 1 seed in Class 7A, on the road.