Über Huber, Viator roll

St. Viator has had an assembly line of talented quarterbacks the last decade.

Senior Eric Huber hopes to follow Jarrett Payton, Brett and Kyle Basanez, Jared Funk and Dante Warren as the Lions' latest top-quality model.

And Huber, who caught passes from Warren last year, showcased his arm and legs in Saturday afternoon's battle for Arlington Heights at Hersey's Roland Goins Stadium.

The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Huber missed only the first of his 9 passes for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns. He rushed for 82 yards and a score as the Lions kept cross-town bragging rights in a 31-6 victory.

"There's a legacy at quarterback at St. Viator and a lot of pressure on him," said senior left tackle-linebacker Matt O'Malley. "But I have no doubt he'll be fine."

Huber said he felt a lot better after running 45 yards with his first snap. Mike Landuyt (20 carries, 122 yards) went 37 yards to the end zone on the next play to give Viator a lead it never lost with 4:38 left in the first quarter.

Huber also hit Chris Carter for touchdowns of 33 and 18 yards and sneaked in from a yard to give Viator a 24-0 lead 1:03 before halftime.

"I felt it a little bit … and I certainly want to live up to the legacy there," said Huber, who talks often with Funk and spoke to Warren this week. "They told me to go out and play my game."

It didn't hurt Huber to be working behind O'Malley, Division I right tackle prospect Emmett Cleary, guards Joe Fliss and Dan Schatz, center Ryan Fedyna and tight end Matt Janus.

"You've got to give credit to them," said Hersey running back-linebacker Caleb Muir, who rushed for 102 yards and a 7-yard score with 8:57 left.

"They played real well," Huber said after the Lions amassed 375 total yards.

"I'm hard on them but they deserve some credit," said Viator coach Chris Kirkpatrick, who also coaches the offensive line. "I thought all of them played well."

Which showed how quickly everything clicked for the Lions' front men.

"During the summer w were having a lot of trouble finding a group of guys able to work together and get things done," O'Malley said. "The five we put out there today were blowing holes open for everybody."

Hersey had its moments as quarterback Scott Kinsel (21 carries, 62 yards) led a game-opening drive from its 22 to the Viator 18. But a bad punt snap for a safety bridged the Lions' first two touchdowns.

"It was a confidence boost but we just couldn't pound it in," Muir said.

"It was a tough way to start after I thought we had pretty good momentum," said Hersey coach Mark Gunther.

Each team also had a nice comeback story. Middle linebacker Brad Carmody, who missed last year with a fractured leg, had 2 of Hersey's 4 fumble recoveries.

And senior defensive end Kyle Hanley started for Viator after missing the last two years after surgery to repair a hole in his heart. Hanley had a sack, a tackle for loss and two stops for no gain to make sure his classmates went two-and-out in the win column against Hersey.

"You never want to lose to them in anything," O'Malley said with a smile.