ROCKFORD - Friday’s steady rain all but washed out the expected offensive fireworks in North Boone’s 14-8 victory over Rockford Lutheran.

The game featured two of the area top quarterbacks, but North Boone’s Alex Albrecht and Lutheran’s Jake Koehler had trouble passing the wet ball, especially during a second-half downpour.

“It was terrible,” Albrecht said of the conditions.

He completed 12-of-22 passes for 148 yards and one touchdown, while Koehler threw for 84 yards, hitting 10 of 17 attempts. They each had two interceptions.

Albrecht threw only seven times in the second half while rushing 12 times for 65 yards.

“We abandoned the pass because it started raining harder,” said Albrecht, who finished with 73 yards rushing.

North Boone’s lone offensive highlight of the second half was a short pass to Tyler Bielski, who sprinted 74 yards down the left sidelines for a touchdown.

“There was great blocking down the field,” the senior wide receiver said. “I couldn’t do it without the blocking and the line’s protection.”
Bielski had nine catches for 113 yards.

“We couldn’t throw the ball down field as we like to in conditions like this,” said North Boone coach Aaron Sullivan, whose team improved to 2-1.

“But the kids stepped up and were able to run the ball, and we kept the ball away from them.”

Lutheran took a 6-0 lead with 4:50 left in the first period on Koehler’s 1-yard run. The kick failed, and Lutheran settled for a 6-0 lead.

The Crusaders’ Jonata Pike set up the score with an 80-yard run to the 1. Pike rushed for a game-high 125 yards on 13 carries.

Early in the second quarter Albrecht capped a seven-play drive with a 2-yard scoring run. The kick was good for a 7-6 advantage.

Lutheran (1-2) regained the lead when Jordan Countryman tackled Albrecht in the end zone for a safety.

After Bielski scored on North Boone’s initial second-half possession for the 14-8 lead, neither team could muster much offense.

Lutheran put together a 15-play drive midway through the fourth quarter, but it ended on a fumble at the North Boone 21.

Lutheran lost two of six fumbles, while North Boone didn’t lose any of its four fumbles.

“Both teams had bad snaps and miscues,” said Lutheran coach Brian Kube. “But I’m not going to blame (the loss) on the weather.”

- Doug Goodman, rrstar.com