It was a defensive play, however, that broke the game open late in the first half to spark a 42-3 rout by Naperville.

Bob Siciliano's 56-yard return of a Donald Busse pass with just a little over a minute left set up the touchdown that helped the Redhawks to a 22-3 halftime lead.

Central scored two touchdowns in the final 2 minutes 33 seconds of the first half to turn the tide.

On the first play after the interception, Jason Paquette scored on an 18-yard run. The extra point by Chris Szatko gave Cental the halftime margin. Paquette, who scored three touchdowns on the night, gave the Redhawks a 15-3 lead with an 8-yard touchdown reception from Horvath with 2:33 to go in the half.

Griffith and Marian's Travis Bushnell ran well on a field that was soaked with rain.

Griffin had 190 yards in 14 carries and two touchdowns. Bushnell was a workhorse for Marian, carrying 36 times for 196 yards.

While Marian relied almost exclusively on Bushnell, Horvath had several weapons. Paquette gained 55 yards in just four carries with touchdown runs of 28 and 18 yards.

Griffith, who Naperville Central coach Joe Bunge calls "as good a running back as we ever had," was strong from start to finish. The 5-foot-11-inch, 189-pounder scored on a 41-yard run on the third play of the game. He had run for 14 and 10 yards on the first two plays.

He scored on a 60-yard run in the third quarter, giving the Redhawks a 28-3 lead, ending any Marian hopes of getting back in the game.

By Reid Hanley