DAKOTA — It didn’t take long after the final handshakes for all Orangeville fans to storm the field in jubilation of what the Broncos had just accomplished.
The Broncos ended the Indians’ 23-game winning streak in the first round of the playoffs, 20-7.
Orangeville coach Toby Golembiewski admitted minutes after the game that he was touched by the win, and what it meant beyond the team.
“I just can’t believe it. I was in tears a little bit on the sidelines,” he said. “This is so huge — not just for the players, but for our town. Our town.
MOUNT PROSPECT — In the year of the quarterback in the NIC-10, Hononegah remained old school. And old school seldom looked as good as it did Saturday night, when the Indians ran for 381 yards in a 42-31 Class 7A first-round win over Mount Prospect.
Hononegah (8-2) didn’t even attempt a pass in the second half in winning its first playoff game since 1996.
“My line made the game for us,” halfback Brian Bean (116 yards on 14 carries) said after his first career 100-yard game. “We just had to go to the hole and our line took care of those blocks all day.”
LAGRANGE PARK — Terry Werntz threw everything Freeport had at Nazareth early, playing several of his best athletes both ways in the opening round playoff game Saturday.
The strategy worked for a quarter as the Pretzels jumped out to an early lead, but as the Pretzels tired, the Roadrunners kept putting points on the board, running away with a 63-29 win over Freeport at Nazareth Academy.
“When you’re going both ways you are going to drag,” the Freeport coach said. “That was our strategy and it looked good there for a while, but then our kids lost it.”
CARY — The Guilford Vikings used three quarterbacks, seven different ballcarriers and a slew of formations in an attempt to throw off undefeated Cary-Grove in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs Saturday.
None of it worked, and in the end the Trojans pummeled the Vikings 47-0.
ROCK FALLS — Five different players scored for Newman in its Class 3A 40-0 win over Monmouth-Roseville.
Newman scored on runs by Dugan Repass (32 yards), Shawn Bahrs (3), James Bass (32) and Kevin Ybarra (2), and Stephen Wilson scored on a 21-yard pass from Repass.
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HEYWORTH — After Heyworth outscored Polo 16-14 in the first quarter, the Marcos shut down Heyworth (8-2) the last three quarters in Class 1A action. Polo won the game 26-16.
Matt Scholl led Polo (7-3) with 135 yards and two touchdowns (6 and 11 yards) on 24 carries.
Drew Cheatham added 79 yards and a 1-yard TD on 18 rushes, and Steve Frano scored the only touchdown of the second half on a 5-yard run in the third quarter.
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STERLING — Raciel Ocampo’s 47-yard field goal in the second quarter proved to be the difference in Sterling’s 23-21 home win against Kaneland Saturday.
Both teams scored three touchdowns apiece, but the Golden Warriors’ field goal with 48 seconds left in the first half gave Sterling the edge in the Class 5A playoff game.
Sterling also scored on a 30-yard pass from Niko Rivera to Clay Hadley and 1-yard runs from Ben Minnick and Rivera. Minnick led all rushers with 85 yards on 23 carries. Rivera finished 6-of-11 for 89 yards.
CHICAGO — On the third play of its 5A playoff game against Chicago Robeson, Rochelle defensive back Shane McCluskey absolutely drilled Martinez Young on a pass reception, forcing a fumble. That was just a taste of many more hits to come by a vicious Hubs defense in a 40-13 win over previously unbeaten Robeson.
“As a 5-4 team, we had to let them know we meant business,” McCluskey said. “In the playoffs, you have to come out swinging.”
For the third time in four years, Rochelle came in as a 5-4 team and whipped a No. 1 or 2 seed.
MILLEDGEVILLE — The Missiles left little doubt that they are deserving of their No. 1 ranking Saturday afternoon, pounding Deer Creek-Mackinaw in the opening round of the Class 1A state football playoffs, 59-12.
Milledgeville scored at will, dominated on defense, and rolled to a 59-0 halftime lead over the Chiefs, rolling up more than 300 yards of offense in the first half with long runs by Carrigan Hunter, Jake Workman and Greg Fredericks.
GALENA — For Galena it was the best of times. For Aquin, it was the worst.
Galena’s Matt Hillard took the opening kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown giving the Pirates a 7-0 lead with just 13 seconds off the clock. Galena never looked back in a 49-13 victory, dominating Aquin in all aspects of the game.
The Pirates totally controlled the first quarter, putting 28 points on the board. Hillard, who gained 160 yards in the first half, accounted for three of the four touchdowns, including an 85-yard thriller down the Aquin sideline.
WHEATON — The Belvidere North players held up their helmets to their fans after their game, and the crowd cheered loudly.
It didn’t matter that North lost the game by 35 points. North fans knew that this team was special because it was the first North football team to qualify for the playoffs.
But for now, the first playoff win will have to wait.
Wheaton St. Francis breezed past North in the first-round Class 5A playoff game with a 49-14 running-clock win Saturday. North ends its season 5-5 after finishing 3-6 in its inaugural season in 2007.
ROCKFORD — Boylan couldn’t run.
Backup quarterback Michael Morman made sure the Titans didn’t have to Saturday.
Morman completed 11-of-16 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns in Boylan’s 24-14 first-round Class 7A football playoff win over Libertyville.
“Michael played the best game of his career,” said Will Sahlstrom, who caught four passes for 95 yards, including TDs of 21 and 39 yards from Morman.
Morman, who threw for 189 yards in four previous starts in place of injured Zach Lane, passed the credit to his teammates.
GENOA — With his team down 10 points with less than 10 minutes remaining in Friday’s Class 4A first-round playoff game, Genoa-Kingston senior Chris Wilkins could almost see the end coming.
“All I could think of was ‘This could be my last game. This could be it,’” said Wilkins, the 5-foot-10, 200-pound Cogs quarterback. “But momentum can change that fast.”
OREGON — Midway through the second quarter of its 3A playoff game with Peru St. Bede (6-4), Oregon (10-0) only had one first down and trailed 7-0. Then, a friendly ghost came to the rescue for the Hawks.
Nick McKeown hobgoblined free for 47 and 55-yard runs before the half ended, setting up the first two touchdowns in a Oregon 34-7 win.
“I think on Halloween, he’s a ghost the way he hid behind his line,” St. Bede coach John Bellino said.
“We couldn’t find him.”
“The first time, three guys tackled (Nick) Snyder,” McKeown said. “I was just following my line and found an opening.”
MACHESNEY PARK — Even when things were going right for Harlem, they weren’t really going right.
The Huskies led for most of the game Friday, but they were never their big-play selves.
“Woodstock is very physical,” Harlem quarterback Keenan Kellett said. “It’s hard to get those long cutback runs because they are so disciplined and don’t miss tackles. We had to change up the game plan.”
No. 5 seed Harlem’s change of pace worked for three quarters, but Woodstock scored two touchdowns in the last six minutes to win 29-22 in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs.
STILLMAN VALLEY — It probably still smells like gun powder in Stillman Valley this morning.
The cannon that celebrates every Cardinals’ touchdown went off eight times during Stillman Valley’s postseason opener. The Cardinals beat Rockford Christian 58-14 Friday to advance to the second round of the Class 3A playoffs.
Stillman Valley will be on the road next week against the winner of today’s game between Aledo-Westmer (8-1) or Lisle (5-4).
The Cardinals rushed for 379 yards in the running-clock win. It was the fourth time this season they have scored at least 50 points.
MACHESNEY PARK — Harlem likes to start out east or west, then break its runs north.
Boylan keeps it simpler.
“I never try to go east and west. Always north,” Boylan fullback Matt McCrudden said.
Simpler proved better on a muddy field as Boylan steamrolled Harlem 40-14 Friday night in a battle of NIC-10 unbeatens to win its third consecutive conference title.
Harlem (8-1) had trouble with the slick field all night.
“It was highly impossible,” tight end Casey Beck said. “Every time I tried to make a cut, I’d slip.”
ROCKFORD - After Lutheran jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter, Winnebago scored 22 unanswered points to finish 3-6 on the season.
Jake Koehler’s 8-yard run started the scoring for the Crusaders.
Winnebago scored on two Michael Sojka runs (60 and 7 yards) and a 66-yard run by Kevin Shaw. Sojka finished with 102 yards on 13 carries.
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SOUTH BELOIT - Jordan Arand scored two touchdowns for Stockton on runs of 33 and 54 yards in the first quarter.
Grant Pierce added a 2-yard run for Stockton.
South Beloit scored on a 5-yard run by Matt Peterson, who finished with a team-high 58 yards on seven carries.
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ROCKFORD — Down to its final chance to make the playoffs, Freeport came out strong and dominated an overmatched Jefferson team Friday.
The Pretzels (5-4) beat the J-Hawks (0-9), 40-8, to give them a fifth win needed for playoff eligibility. Freeport coach Terry Werntz said the Pretzels have 40 playoff points, which should be enough to get them into the postseason.
“I’m excited now, I’ll be excited in the morning. ... I really feel we’re in,” Werntz said. “Forty-one (points) would probably give me a heart attack because I just can’t envision it.”
GALENA — It wasn’t pretty, but for Galena, it was good enough.
At times Friday night, the Pirates (8-1, 7-1 in the NUIC-Upstate) were their own worst enemy, incurring killer penalties and committing a big turnover in the red zone.
But in the end, Galena was good enough, topping Polo 21-7.
“I thought we shot themselves in the foot a couple times,” Galena coach Ed Freed said. “But Polo’s a good team, and they’re going to do that to teams.”
STILLMAN VALLEY — Stillman Valley’s first couple turnovers were forgivable. Field conditions were less than perfect, after all, and Oregon was bound to make the same mistakes.
But the Hawks, being every bit the two-time defending conference champs they are, did not.
Oregon capitalized on five Stillman Valley turnovers to beat the Cardinals 28-0 Friday and win its third straight Big Northern West title. The Hawks (9-0, 5-0 BNW) became the first Big Northern team since 2004 to finish the regular season undefeated.
DAKOTA — Dakota proved to have the heart of a champion Friday night, overcoming a spirited Forreston team and hanging on to win 18-14 in a contest decided in the final seconds.
The Indians became only the third team in school history to finish the regular season 9-0, and have now extended the Dakota football win streak to 23 consecutive games.
SAVANNA — The Eastland/Pearl City Wildcats went to Savanna looking to secure their place in the playoffs. Mission accomplished — with a 35-0 victory over the Thunder.
Both teams were having problems with ball control on a wet field, but the first big break of the night came on EPC’s second possession.
The Wildcats had driven across midfield with Carson Walker back in shotgun formation. An errant snap hit the end coming across in motion with the Thunder jumping quickly on the ball, but a procedure penalty gave EPC back the ball.
WARREN - The Warriors (1-8) were led by Peter Zito’s three touchdowns and 104 yards on 27 carries and beat Pecatonica 28-0.
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ROCKTON — If Harlem and Boylan were the big Broadway act Friday, the off-Broadway production at Hononegah turned out to be a pretty good show in its own right.
The Indians (7-2) held off Belvidere North 27-20 to claim third place outright in the NIC-10.
“This was just a good high school football game by two teams,” Blue Thunder coach Curt Tobin said.
Brett McWilliams had two touchdowns and 217 yards rushing in helping Hononegah to a 27-14 advantage early in the fourth quarter.
“Brett had an amazing game — what a workhorse,” Hononegah lineman Zach Johnson said.
MACHESNEY PARK — “It was Titan weather,” Boylan fullback Matt McCrudden said.
Why?
“Coach told us. I can’t really remember it.”
A decade or two ago, when Bill Thumm’s Boylan teams played Woody Hayes’ style football, a chill rain that left the field looking like one big mud pie, would make sense as Titan weather. But successor Dan Appino brought the spread to Boylan long ago, giving the Titans an offense as diverse as any team’s in the NIC-10.
FRANKLIN GROVE - The Broncos qualified for the state playoffs for the first time since 2001 with their fifth win of the season.
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POPLAR GROVE - The Rockets scored a fourth-quarter touchdown for the win, which qualified them for the playoffs with a 5-4 record.
Justin Russell led Richmond-Burton with 152 yards on 17 carries, while Alex Albrecht had 108 yards on 15 carries for the Vikings (3-6).
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MENDOTA - Wes Ertmer rang up 224 yards on 25 carries for Lena-Winslow.
He scored two touchdown runs on a 22 and 70 yards. Kolten Kempel added a 30-yard TD run for the Panthers (7-2).
Alex Caruso’s 5-yard run in the first quarter was Mendota’s lone score.
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FREEPORT - Aquin outscored Durand 28-0 in the first quarter on a 40-yard pass from Jordan Pontius to Chase York, two runs by Cody Gallagher (3 and 5 yards), a 25-yard fumble return by Dan Hauser, an Aaron Schibona blocked punt recovery, and a 64-yard run by York.
Pontius finished with 102 yards on a 3 of 3 night. Mitch Alberstett scored Durand’s TD on a 6-yard run in the fourth quarter.
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MILLEDGEVILLE - The Missiles finished the regular season 9-0 and won the outright NUIC Upstate title by beating East Dubuque 46-20.
Milledgeville outscored East Dubuque 24-0 in the first quarter on a 12-yard run by Greg Fredericks, a 23-yard pass from Kirk Engelkens to Kurt Landis, and a 9-yard Engelkens run.
Jake Workman added two rushing TD’s for the Missiles. East Dubuque (4-5) scored on runs by Austin Fluhr (68 yards), Drew Weber (6 yards) and Tanner Heinrich (14 run).
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BYRON - The Cogs (7-2) finished third in the Big Northern West Conference by holding off the Tigers, 15-13.
Byron scored first on a 31-yard pass from David Boyle to Brady Scheffler, but G-K answered with a 15-yard run by Garrett Johnsen, and the Cogs led 8-6 at halftime.
Chris Wilkins’ 9-yard run in the third gave the Cogs the lead for good. The Tigers added a 3-yard TD run in the fourth by Andrew Clark.
Byron finished 3-6 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year.
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ROCHELLE — Needing a win before even thinking about getting into the playoffs for the 11th straight year, the Rochelle Hubs took care of business in a big way Friday with a 44-8 home win over DeKalb.
ROCKFORD — Jeff Janusevic overcome a muddy field and a scrappy East defense to guide Guilford to a 20-0 victory Friday.
The Vikings learn tonight if their 5-4 record is good enough for a playoff berth.
“It was a good time,” said Janusevic, who threw for one touchdown and ran for another. “It was a lot of fun slipping and sliding around here tonight.”
The senior quarterback hit Avery Sherman with a 13-yard TD pass with 41 seconds left in the half to break a scoreless tie.
ROCKFORD – Zach Lane, playing with a partially torn ACL in his knee, planted hard and tried to cut Friday. A Hononegah defender hit him hard and bent him over backward.
Lane ran to the sideline, yelling all the way: “I’m good. I’m good. I’m good.”
Yes, he was. And so, as a result, were the Titans. Lane, playing for the first time in four weeks, threw for 126 yards and two touchdowns to lead Boylan to a 28-13 win over Hononegah. Boylan (8-0) now plays at Harlem (also 8-0) for the NIC-10 title next week.
@Subhead_reg:Milledgeville 37, Orangeville 7
ORANGEVILLE - Several years ago, Milledgeville coach Gary Hartje took down a sign that read: “Through these doors walk champions.”
“Hopefully, he’ll put that sign back up for us,” running back Greg Fredericks said after the Missiles improved to 8-0, 7-0 in the NUIC Upstate with a 37-7 win over Orangeville.
Fredericks ran for 143 yards, including an 86-yard run in the first quarter to help down Orangeville (4-4, 4-3).
“I was just able to break free and then I just followed my two big linemen down field all the way,” he said.
LANARK - Carson Walker threw touchdowns on all four of his passes to lead Eastland/Pearl City to a 55-14 win over South Beloit.
Jerimie Coombes added 143 yards on 20 carries for E/PC, which took a 28-0 lead after one quarter.
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KIRKLAND — With a 10-8 win over Hiawatha, Rockford Christian (6-2) guaranteed itself a spot in the IHSA playoffs. It didn’t come easy either, as the Royals needed a Drew Anderson interception with 30 seconds to seal the victory.
“The receiver wasn’t looking, and I read the quarterback,” Anderson said.
It was the second key defensive stop in the final three minutes for the Royals. On Hiawatha’s (3-5) previous possession, Colton Gann and Dennis Mikulich teamed up to tackle Angel Hernandez for a loss on fourth down at the RC 24.
POPLAR GROVE — North Boone senior Colton Friemuth pulled his jersey off and walked slowly across the football field.
The emotions of Friday’s game against Harvard hit him with a tug.
“Everybody was fighting hard,” said Friemuth, one of 12 seniors. “As seniors, we wanted to win.”
The Vikings’ quest for their first playoff berth under head coach Aaron Sullivan was dashed by Harvard in a 19-7 loss despite a rally in the fourth quarter.
ROCKFORD — The Freeport football team saw its fifth win slip out of its fingers several times Friday.
The Pretzels had key turnovers, allowed a late Guilford drive to tie the game in the final seconds and a disastrous offensive possession in overtime in their 35-28 loss to the Vikings at Guilford High School.
The loss means the Pretzels and Vikings will both have to win their final game next week to become playoff eligible. The Pretzels will travel to Jefferson and Guilford faces East.
ROCKFORD - Chicago Christian jumped to a 35-0 first-quarter lead and won the game 49-0 over Christian Life.
Jacob Bach led Christian Life with 43 yards rushing.
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EAST DUBUQUE - Austin Fluhr led East Dubuque with 181 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries in East Dubuque's 47-13 win over Durand.
Drew Weber added 157 yards and two TD’s on 18 rushes.
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GLEN ELLYN - Rochelle’s late comeback attempt fell short, and the Hubs will have to fight for their playoff lives next week when they host DeKalb.
Glenbard South (6-2, 5-1 Western Sun) jumped out to a 10-0 first-half lead and took a 17-0 lead on a 43-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter. But Rochelle’s Ben Schwartz (18 carries for 106 yards), one of two Hubs to rush for more than 100 yards, plowed in from five yards out on the next possession, and Dan Ruppenthal (26-116), the other in triple digits, dove in for a 3-yard TD late in the game.
PECATONICA — For three quarters, the Pecatonica football team was throwing one heck of a surprise party.
But on the first play from scrimmage in the fourth quarter, Tommy Bowers and No. 1 (Class 1A) Dakota crashed the party and held on for dear life, winning 13-12.
“When we first came to this conference, the one thing I was concerned about was how we would play against these physical teams,” Pecatonica coach Brett Frederick said. “We still have problems with speed and athletes, but tonight, this was just two heavyweights going right at each other.”
STOCKTON - Matt Hillard gained 104 yards on 15 carries to help Galena jump to leads of 21-0 and 35-0 at the first two quarter stops and won 49-14 over Stockton.
Josh Yaeger led Stockton’s defense with 16 tackles. The Blackhawks were held to 105 yards of total offense.
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FORRESTON - Luke Myers ran for 204 yards and four touchdowns on only 14 carries to rally Forreston, which trailed 7-6 at the half, to a 37-7 victory over West Carroll.
Andrew Ballard added 91 yards on 11 rushes and Kyle Janicke 35 yards on 13 carries.
Both had one TD for the Cardinals. Forreston’s last five TD runs were 47, 60, 24, 32 and 69 yards.
Adam Ferguson gave West Carroll a 7-6 lead with a 20-yard interception return.
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LENA - Kolton Kempel completed 7-of-10 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a 2-yard touchdown to lead Lena-Winslow (6-2) over winless Warren/River Ridge.
Wes Ertmer started Le-Win’s scoring with TD runs of 15 and 8 yards. He finished with 112 yards on 22 carries. The Panthers ran for 237 yards on 41 carries.
Warren’s Jared McNutt completed 17 of 36 passes for 299 yards.
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POLO - Polo (6-2) clinched a playoff spot with a 21-7 win over A-FC. Matt Scholl led the Marcos with 136 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries, while Drew Cheatham and Steve Frano added one TD run apiece.
Polo held A-FC to total 105 yards. Kyle Bridgeman scored A-FC’s lone TD on a 15-yard run.
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BYRON — David Boyle threw TD passes of 60 and 75 yards to Brady Scheffler to help Byron edge Winnebago, 34-32.
Adam Head also threw a 42-yard TD pass to Kyle Smith for Byron and Smith scored on runs of 7 and 9 yards. Michael Sojka scored three TDs for Winnebago on a 5-yard run, a 4-yard run and a 23-yard run.
Sojka’s last TD brought the Indians within 34-32, but they didn’t convert the extra-point attempt.
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ROCKFORD — Nick Snyder ran for 162 yards and three touchdowns on only five carries as Oregon blew out Lutheran 41-0 and set up a showdown with fellow unbeaten Stillman Valley for the Big Northern West football title next week.
Oregon, ranked No. 8 in Class 4A, outrushed Lutheran by 356 yards. The Hawks had 338 and Lutheran minus-18. Jake Koehler completed 16 of 31 passes for 93 yards for Luthearn.
Oregon plays next week at Stillman Valley, ranked No. 6 in Class 4A.
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BELVIDERE — Tiras Harris had the kind of game most fantasy football owners would drool over.
The Belvidere senior running back rushed 35 times for 315 yards and scored four touchdowns as the Bucs hung on to beat Rockford Jefferson 45-41 Friday night at Funderburg Stadium.
Harris scored four times on runs of 5, 11, 12 and 12 yards. He had 14 carries of 10 or more yards on the night.
He flirted with Belvidere’s all-time single-game rushing record, which is held by John Grubb, who had 353 yards in a game back in 1962.
STILLMAN VALLEY – When Shay Bubnack intercepted Genoa-Kingston’s pass to win Friday’s game in overtime, the Stillman Valley senior sprinted up the field to celebrate with his teammates, the Cardinal fans erupted in the stands, and coach Mike Lalor crouched down silently with his head in his hands.
"I’m exhausted," Lalor said after his team’s 36-28 thrilling OT home win against the Cogs. "We did just enough to win this ballgame."
MACHESNEY PARK — Harlem’s potent offense — and the most prolific passer ever to wear a Huskie uniform — was too much for East on Friday as the hosts dominated the E-Rabs, 34-22.
The win, which had a blowout-feel after the Huskies opened up with a
27-0 lead, set up next week’s
Harlem (8-0) versus Boylan (8-0) showdown for this year’s NIC-10 championship. It also gave the Huskies a little more momentum, and a little more confidence, headed into the big finish.
ROCKFORD — Belvidere North coach Curt Tobin knows the importance of Corey Wennmacher to the Blue Thunder offense.
“As Corey goes, we go,” Tobin said of his senior quarterback.
On Friday night, Wennmacher got the Blue Thunder going on the game’s opening play, returning the kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown.
He also threw for 169 yards and three touchdowns as Belvidere rolled to a 63-26 victory. The points output was the most in the two-year history of the school.
Wennmacher was far from satisfied.
FREEPORT – One Huskie batted at the ball. Then a second Huskie. And Wes Gastel still caught it for his fourth touchdown reception.
“I got my hand on it,” Harlem safety Sterling Hecox said. “Tyler Cox got his hand on it. And he still came down with the ball.
“He’s a great receiver, but we played better than them as a team.”
Harlem and Freeport traded one big play after another, but only the Huskies could make the little plays in Friday’s 42-30 NIC-10 victory over the Pretzels.
STOCKTON - Cody Gallagher ran for 157 yards on 19 carries and Aaron Schmelzle had 125 yards on 14 carries to lead Freeport Aquin.
Stockton took an early 6-0 lead. The Blackhawks held Aquin on its first drive, then scored on a Myles Zueger quarterback keeper.
It looked as if the Blackhawks might keep their lead when they held on third down on Aquin’s next possession, only to let an offside penalty on the next play keep the Bulldogs’ drive alive.
ROCKFORD — Jefferson (0-7, 0-7) opened the scoring with an 80-yard TD pass from Mike Dalsanto to Mario Manns, but that was where the fun ended for the J-Hawks in a rout, 52-6.
Guilford (3-4, 3-4) rattled off 52 unanswered points, led by quarterback Jeff Janusevic’s four touchdown runs. Running back Tim Hill chewed up 143 yards on 25 carries to help the Vikings to 386 yards rushing on the night.
Guilford hosts Freeport next week while Jefferson searches for its first win of the season at Belvidere.
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Rockford register star
ROCKFORD — With a matchup against once-beaten Hononegah on the horizon, the Boylan Titans did not overlook Auburn in Friday night’s NIC-10 matchup.
Boylan (7-0, 7-0) rushed for 363 yards — with two players going over 100 on the night — and despite four turnovers, mauled the Knights 42-0 in Titan Stadium. After a slow start, the Titans scored 28 points in the second quarter to put the game away.
PECATONICA — Kyle Nolen’s 40-yard run opened the scoring and Pecatonica then got its passing game going in the second quarter to roll over Forreston 40-21 Friday.
The Indians led 27-0 at the half. Nolen dodged and darted around the left end before sprinting into the end zone at the 3:55 mark in the opening period, then kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
ORANGEVILLE — Wade Dettman hadn’t played running back since his junior varsity days at Dakota, and was the starting guard this season.
But injuries to both Cody Jacobson (knee) and Evan Dornink (ankle) made it possible for the senior to make a return at the position when the Indians needed it most.
Orangeville (4-3, 4-2 NUIC Upstate) was about as competitive as any team has been during Dakota’s flawless run this season, but the Broncos’ efforts weren’t enough as the Indians (7-0, 6-0 NUIC Northwest) won on the road 24-14.
MENDOTA - Mendota scored one touchdown in each of the last three quarters.
Mendota outrushed Rock Falls 318-61 and posted 340 total yards on offense compared to Rock Falls’ 143.
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ROCKFORD - Luther South jumped out to a 22-0 lead, and although Christian Life fought back, the visitors pulled off the win in the shootout, 48-28.
Christian Life fullback Jeff Polsean’s 20-yard run to the Luther South 3-yard-line set up a touchdown that cut into Luther South’s late first-half lead.
But both teams traded scores early in the second half and Luther South pulled away late to notch the win.
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LENA — It may not have been pretty, but when the only thing that matters is what the scoreboard says, ugly was beautiful Friday for Eastland/Pearl City.
The Wildcats turned the ball over five times, but it didn’t matter as E/PC went on the road and topped Lena-Winslow 34-21 on homecoming.
The Panthers would try to match Eastland/Pearl City with four turnovers of their own.
The game got off to an auspicious start for the Wildcats as on the first play from scrimmage Lena-Winslow’s Trey Griffin knocked the ball loose from an E/PC ball carrier.
KIRKLAND - After leading 14-8 at halftime, Alden-Hebron pulled away with a 15-0 third-quarter run and won 29-14.
Jacob Gricar led the Giants with 82 yards on 10 carries.
Hiawatha quarterback Ricky Failla completed 9-of-15 for 115 yards.
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ROCKFORD - Lutheran quarterback Jake Koehler went 11-of-20 for 189 yards, but the Tigers outrushed Lutheran 453-35 and took out Lutheran in the process, 42-12.
Kyle Smith led Byron with 273 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, and Andrew Clark also had two rushing touchdowns.
Stephen Baxter and Earl Grigsby had Lutheran’s two TD receptions of 46 and 30 yards, respectively.
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GALENA - The Pirates outscored Durand 28-0 in the first quarter and led 38-7 at halftime. Matt Hillard led Galena with 117 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries, and Trevor Harris followed with 110 yards and one TD on 12 rushes.
Jake Pelley led the Bulldogs with 66 yards on 16 carries.
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WINNEBAGO - Stillman Valley scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to survive a scare and walk away with a 34-24 win at Winnebago Friday.
The state-ranked Cardinals (7-0, 3-0 Big Northern West) trailed Winnebago (2-5, 0-3) 21-15 at halftime but outscored Winnebago 19-3 in the second half for the win.
This was the closest game of the season for Stillman Valley, which was ranked sixth in Class 4A this week. Winnebago scored first on a 4-yard run by Seth Gustafson, but Stillman Valley answered with a 24-yard run by Cody Brewington and the Cardinals led 8-7 after the first quarter.
ROCKFORD — Wayland Academy’s game plan was simple: Run the football.
That’s exactly what the Big Red did Friday en route to a 42-0 win over Rockford Christian.
Wayland Academy unleashed its three-headed ground attack of Brennan Fitzgerald, Austin Williams and Adam Bunkoske, who combined for 389 rushing yards.
The Big Red of Beaver Dam, Wis., finished with 451 total rushing yards to the Royals’ 59.
ROCKFORD — Ok, now the Indians can start thinking about Boylan.
Led by sophomore quarterback Chase Robinson and former QB Dustin Meier, Hononegah (6-1, 6-1 NIC-10) rolled over East (2-5, 2-5) on Friday night, 48-21, setting up a big NIC-10 matchup next week. The Indians insisted they did not talk about next Friday’s meeting with Boylan; that is, until the clock ran out on the E-Rabs in Swanson Stadium.
ROCHELLE - In a 35-14 loss to Geneva, Rochelle took a moral victory of sorts.
Consider: Geneva (7-0) is No. 3 in 7A, while the Hubs (4-3) are unranked in 5A. Rochelle had 23 healthly varsity players compared to a 75-man roster for Geneva. Rochelle's line was outweighed 35 pounds a player.
The Vikings had all-stater Michael Ratay (24 runs for 256 yards), while Rochelle's best runner Devon Mancillas was on the sidelines on crutches.
"I thought we played good," said Rochelle quarterback Nate Eyster. "They were just too big, fast and experienced."
FREEPORT – Fasten your seatbelts: The NIC-10 has officially joined the 21st century.
As Ohio State keeps finding out in the BCS title game, modern offenses can score on any play. And with any player.
That’s now how it was done for 70 years in the NIC-10, even more staid than the Big Ten. But that’s how it’s done now.
“The conference used to be run, run, run,” Harlem assistant coach Rich Infusino said. “But the trends are changing.”
GENOA – Oregon’s players remember too well that their only conference loss of the 2007 season was to Genoa-Kingston.
“Yeah, we came in here looking for revenge,” Oregon fullback Nick McKeown said after his team’s 35-20 win at Genoa Friday. Then he looked at one of his linemen, Justin Dvorak, standing nearby, and the two of them exchanged satisfactory grins.
“And I think we got it,” McKeown added.
EAST DUBUQUE - Riley Kubatzke scored on runs of 2 and 25 yards to help Orangeville rally from a two-touchdown deficit in the second half to beat East Dubuque 34-27. The Broncos (4-2) are now one win shy of their total from the previous for years (5-31).
Orangeville trailed 21-7 before Steve Snider scored on a 1-yard run and Kubatzke on a 2-yard run to cut it to 21-20 heading into the fourth quarter.
After East Dubuque scored, Trace Hanson finally gave the Broncos the lead, 28-27, with a 27-yard pass to Trace Hanson. Kubatzke then clinched the win with his 25-yard run.
ROCKTON — The difference between a win and a loss can be as small as a fingertip’s reach.
That was the difference Friday in Hononegah’s 27-21 win over Freeport.
On the final play of the game, Freeport quarterback Kevin Flack threw a Hail Mary into the end zone.
The ball bounced off the hand of an Indian defender, off the hand of Freeport’s Wes Gastel, then was batted to the ground by a Hononegah defender to end the game.
BYRON – Stillman Valley coach Mike Lalor earned his 100th career victory with a 56-15 win at Byron Friday.
The three-time state championship coach is in his 10th season with the Cardinals, which gives him an average of 10 wins per season.
“I think that says a lot about the great teams and great players we’ve had here,” Lalor said. “You don’t get to 100 wins that quickly without having an outstanding amount of kids through the years.”
The Cardinals (6-0) clinched a playoff spot for the ninth time in Lalor’s career with the road win.
Jefferson’s homecoming also was a special night for Belvidere North’s Keith Larson.
The junior quarterback returned to action after being sidelined since the season’s first game with an ankle sprain.
Larson showed little rust Friday, throwing two touchdown passes to Jacob Billon in a 48-13 victory over Jefferson.
“It felt great just to get back on the field,” Larson said. “There is no better feeling than to get out there on a Friday night and play football.”
MACHESNEY PARK — Trailing Guilford 7-6, Harlem coach Jim Morrow told his players at halftime they would find out what type of team they were in the second half. Actually, the Huskies (6-0) gave Morrow a preview two minutes before half with a goal-line stand that keyed a 24-14 win.
“If we got that touchdown before half, it would have been a different ballgame,” Guilford coach Mel Gilfillan said. “That would have been a confidence boost.”
ROCKFORD — Joe Johnson ran for 34 yards on the game’s first play. Martin Hyatte ran 30 yards on the second play.
This, obviously, was not the same old East.
“It was exhilarating,” Hyatte said. “When you do something like that on the first play, it gives your whole team unbelievable confidence the rest of the game.”
East rolled to a 45-12 win over Auburn (1-5). The E-Rabs (2-4), after last week’s close 27-20 loss to Belvidere, have scored more points in the last two games than they did all of last season.
SOUTH BELOIT - Six different players scored for the Panthers, who led 42-0 at halftime, and the Panthers went on to defeat South Beloit by the same score.
Ryan Werhane, Wes Ertmer, Kolton Kempel, Evan Johnson, Trey Griffin and Jeff Monroe each posted a touchdown, and Lena-Winslow also scored on a safety.
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GENOA - Chris Wilkins completed 7-of-9 for 247 yards and two touchdowns for the Cogs, who beat Lutheran 42-14.
T.C. Holterhaus had five catches for 160 yards. Robby Thurlby led G-K on the ground with 83 yards on 14 rushes.
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OREGON - Oregon scored 21 points in the first quarter and went on to beat Winnebago 49-11 at Oregon on Friday.
The Hawks (6-0, 2-0 BNW) rang up 330 rushing yards and had rushing touchdowns from Nick Snyder (15 yards), Carson Andrew (3 yards), Nick McKeown (80 yards), and Andrew Smith (52 yards).
Oregon also scored a 57-yard punt return by Ryan McWethy, a 12-yard pass from McWethy to Smith, and a 79-yard kickoff reutrn by Robbie Brink.
McKeown finished with 109 yards on four carries.
SAVANNA - Travis Morhardt scored on a 71-yard run to break open a scoreless game and kick off a 22-point second quarter for West Carroll, who won 28-6 over CICS.
Justin Ferguson then scored on an 18-yard pass from Ethan Baisden and Baisden added a 6-yard run to make it 22-0.
Baisden accounted for his third TD with a 5-yard pass to Adam Ferguson to make it 28-0 after three quarters.
The Thunder ran for 369 yards, with five players topping 40 yards. Morhardt led the way with 91 and John Allen had 84.
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FORRESTON - Luke Myers scored four touchdowns covering a total of 162 yards to lead the Cardinals past A-FC 35-6.
Andrew Ballard opened the scoring with a 21-yard run. Myers then scored on runs of 84 and 9 yards in the second quarter for a 21-0 halftime lead.
Myers added an 18-yard scoring run and a 51-yard punt return in the second half. He finished with 173 yards on 12 carries.
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POPLAR GROVE — North Boone’s sophomore connection continued to shine Friday, helping the Vikings to a 53-20 blowout of Marengo on homecoming night.
Alex Albrecht had 150 yards rushing and 100 yards passing before halftime as the Vikings scored 18 seconds into the game and rarely let up. His twin brother, Jon, had two first-quarter fumble recoveries, as well as a first-half interception and a second-quarter TD catch.
In the end, Marengo (1-5, 0-2) had no answer as North Boone (3-3, 1-1) built a 47-6 third-quarter lead before gliding in.
STERLING - Sterling scored 31 points in the second quarter and led 34-0 at halftime and won 48-21.
The Golden Warriors scored on runs by Niko Rivera (11 and 26 yards), Jason Long (40 yards), Keaton Cervantes (2 yards), a 22-yard pass from Rivera to Dustin Fritsch, and field goals of 21 and 24 yards by Raciel Ocampo.
Dixon scored all its points in the fourth quarter.
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MILLEDGEVILLE — There will be a new No. 1 team in Class 1A next week.
The No. 3 Missiles shocked No. 1 Galena by rallying from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to win, 22-16, Friday and put themselves in the driver’s seat for a top ranking in the state and a conference title.
Milledgeville quarterback Kirk Engelkens had several key runs down the stretch, but said that when the Pirates built their 10-point lead in the beginning of the second half, he was worried the team was tiring out already.
DAKOTA - Evan Dornink had 222 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries to lead Dakota past Warren/River Ridge 46-13.
His first two runs of 30 and 35 yards put Dakota out front 12-0 in the first quarter.
Warren/River Ridge quarterback Jared McNutt finished the game 19 of 34 passing attempts, for 251 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
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DURAND — A dominating ground game and stifling defense helped Stockton record its first victory of the season Friday, beating Durand 35-10.
The Blackhawks rolled up 347 yards and were led by running back Jordan Arand, who carried 28 times for 192 yards.
On its opening drive of the game, Stockton used a 42-yard kickoff return by Brock Hawley to establish field position, then paired two first downs to set up the first score of the game.
Running back Brandon Wampfler burst 3 yards through the middle for the touchdown, and the two-point conversion failed.
FREEPORT — In a game filled with big plays and sweeping shifts in momentum, it was ultimately two onside kicks that propelled the Aquin Bulldogs to a 34-31 home victory over the Polo Marcos on Friday night.
With Aquin clinging to a 3-point lead in the waning seconds of the game, Noah Diemer secured Polo’s onside kick to seal the Bulldogs’ victory.
Aquin executed their own onside kick to perfection to open the second half with the game tied at 14.
BELVIDERE – If Belvidere thought it could expose some weaknesses in Boylan, which played without starting quarterback Zach Lane on Friday, the Titans needed just one quarter to change that.
After a close first half, the Titans scored five touchdowns in the third quarter enroute to a 49-9 NIC-10 football victory against the Bucs at Funderburg Stadium.
Will Sahlstrom started things for the Titans in the second half when he scored on a 48-yard run to make it 21-7.
ROCKFORD - Belvidere North wants to know what all the fuss about playing at Boylan is about.
In their first ever game at Titans Stadium, the Blue Thunder threatened to upset the conference powerhouse on its home turf Friday.
“I think other teams come in here thinking they’re already beat a lot of times,” North quarterback Corey Wennmacher said after his team’s 21-13 loss at Boylan. “But we didn’t.”
ROCKFORD - This wasn’t the same Auburn Knights football team of the past three weeks.
After three straight NIC-10 conference losses, Auburn nearly ran itself to a homecoming victory against Freeport on Friday.
Eddie Cade rushed for 217 yards, but Freeport’s pass-happy offense came through taking a 54-42 victory.
Cade, who was featured sparingly at running back in last week’s 45-6 loss against Guilford, played the entire game at the position and it paid immediate dividends.
He scored the Knights’ first two touchdowns on breakaway runs of 59 and 74 yards.
ROCKFORD - Hononegah sophomore Chase Robinson didn’t learn he was going to start Friday night until he saw senior quarterback Dustin Meier at practice Thursday.
“I didn’t know Dustin was hurt until he walked out without pads on,” Robinson said of Meier, who injured the middle finger on his passing hand in the first quarter of last week’s loss to unbeaten Harlem. Meier said he’d be out for three or four weeks.
DURAND - Wes Ertmer ran for 176 yards and four touchdowns on 14 carries to lead Lena-Winslow past Durand.
Le-Win ran for 330 yards and held Durand to 168 total yards. Tom Harms (5-yard run) and Jake Pelley (6-yard run) scored for Durand.
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BELVIDERE – It was a game Belvidere desperately needed to win. It was a game that the Bucs almost let slip away.
Belvidere saw a three-touchdown lead in the second half nearly disappear as Rockford East, behind quarterback Michael Dye, mounted a comeback. But an interception by the Bucs’ David Gamboa midway through the fourth quarter thwarted a potential game-tying score as the Bucs hung on for a 27-20 win Friday night at Funderburg Stadium.
OREGON - In a 42-0 loss to Oregon, Byron gift-wrapped and gave the first half to the Hawks. In the second half, Oregon (5-0) didn't need any generosity.
Capitalizing on four first half turnovers by Byron (1-4), the Hawks took a 21-0 halftime lead and then started the second half with a 16-play, 97-yard drive to show a packed homecoming crowd at Landers-Loomis Field it could also earn points the hard way.
"The turnovers set up scores for us, but having that long drive to start the third quarter broke (Byron),"
Oregon coach John Bothe said.
MACHESNEY PARK - Keenan Kellett completed 6-of-7 for 136 yards and two touchdowns to lead Harlem to a 47-10 home win against Jefferson Friday.
Kellett connected with four different Harlem receivers. Casey Beck had three catches for 60 yards and two TD’s of 15 and 17 yards.
Sterling Hecox rushed twice, both of which resulted in 6-yard touchdown runs. Keith Purifoy led all Harlem rushers with 50 yards on three carries.
Harlem (5-0) also scored on an 85-yard interception return, a 1-yard run by Andy Kennington and a 50-yard interception return.
BURLINGTON - North Boone scored all 14 of its points in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run by Colton Friemuth and a 57-yard fumble return by Addem Wynstra.
Four of Burlington Central’s six TDs were on passes.
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STILLMAN VALLEY - Six different players scored touchdowns for the Cardinals (5-0). Shay Bubnack started the game with a 40-yard interception return. He added five extra-point kicks.
Brandon Schwengels (50 run, 57 run) and Alex Cox (50 run, 49 run) scored twice, and Cody Brewington (43 run), Keegan Myrvold (1 run) and Tyler Larson (100-yard interception return) also scored.
Schwengels (4 carries, 155 yards), Alex Cox (6-127) and Shawn Cox (5-88) were Stillman Valley’s leading rushers. Jake Koehlere had 228 yards passing for Lutheran and scored on a 7-yard run.
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ROCKFORD - Rockford Christian outscored Mooseheart 21-8 in the first quarter and held on for the win.
Conrad Ognibene completed 16 of 21 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns for the Royals. Passing touchdowns went to Drew Anderson (23 yards), Albert Piamonte (4 yards) and Jake Bliss (15 yards).
Colton Gann added a 1-yard TD run, and Ognibene also kicked a 34-yard field goal. The Royals (5-0) will now prepare to face state-ranked Alden-Hebron (5-0) on the road next Saturday.
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POLO - Matt Scholl ran for 172 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries, scoring from 9, 3, 52 and 15 yards.
Polo finished with 363 yards rushing.
Scott Smith led the Marcos’ defense with 12 tackles and a safety.
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SOUTH BELOIT - West Carroll led 18-8 through three quarters before the Sobos rallied hard by scoring 14 in the fourth quarter.
The Thunder held on thanks to touchdowns from David Walter, Ethan Baisden, Tyler Stricker and Colby Lemm.
Matt Peterson (15 run) and Steven Counts (60 pass from Cole Hagstrom) scored for the Sobos.
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WINNEBAGO - Chris Wilkins both ran and passed for more than 100 yards and also returned a fumble for a touchdown to help Genoa-Kingston overcome two early long runs by Winnebago’s Seth Gustafson.
Wilkins gave the Cogs (5-0) a 7-0 lead with an 80-yard pass to T.C. Holterhaus. Winnebago (2-3), which upset G-K by one point last year, then took the lead on runs of 33 and 44 yards by Gustafson (150 yards on 19 carries).
FORRESTON - The Cardinals twice rallied from behind, then hung on to edge Warren 26-20 in high school NUIC football Friday night.
Justin Ruter recovered a fumbled punt midway through the fourth quarter. Mike Hoeft (132 yards on 18 carries) scored his second touchdown on a 14-yard run a few minutes later to give the Cardinals (3-2) their winning 26-20 margin.
Warren (0-5) responded by driving to the Forreston 3, where the Cardinals made a goal-line stand.
ROCHELLE – It was Yorkville’s aerial attack versus Rochelle’s smashmouth ground game Friday, and it was no contest.
Rochelle fumbled away possession four times in the first half and allowed Yorkville quarterback Luke Parece to air it out for 271 yards passing on the night, but the Hubs’ homecoming game was never in doubt. The defense had two goal-line stands - one to close out the first half on the 3-yard-line - and surrendered only one late TD as the Hubs notched their first Western Sun Conference win of the year with a 29-7 whipping of Yorkville.
Oregon is known for smashmouth football.
It’s been a huge part of the Hawks’ success in coach John Bothe’s career. The Hawks tackle and hit so well, you’d think they practice it all the time.
That’s not necessarily the case.
“The big thing with tackling at practice, and I think most would agree, is you just make sure people aren’t going to the ground,” Bothe said.
Many do agree with Bothe. Full-out tackling at practice for some is a thing of the past. Most high school football teams save their hits for Friday nights to avoid injuries during the week.
STILLMAN VALLEY — Mike Lalor has coached dozens of outstanding athletes in his 10 years at Stillman Valley.
He’s pushed them in the weight room, demanded perfection on the football field, and led them to state titles.
But Lalor’s most important athlete came into his life just before his eighth year of coaching.
His son, Logan, was born June 8, 2006.
There were physical complications from the start. Lalor’s years of pushing athletes to their highest potential took on a different meaning. He now had to use that same drive to help his own son.
WATERTOWN, Wis. - Maranatha Baptist scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to win. Jason Keneway threw TD passes to Floyd Webster (9 yards), Brad Doolittle (16 yards), Sean Griffin (27 yards) and Ricky Failla (55 yards) for Kirkland Hiawatha.
BATAVIA — The Hubs had two chances to at least tie it from inside the 7-yard-line with under 10 seconds left, but both Nate Eyster passes fell incomplete.
After scoring twice in the final minute of the second quarter, Rochelle (2-2, 0-2 Western Sun) grabbed a 22-14 lead at halftime. Another TD boosted the lead to 28-14, but Batavia stormed back from there.
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POLO — Matt Scholl and Drew Cheatham combined for all five of Polo’s touchdowns.
Scholl had 121 yards and three TD runs of 37, 7 and 42 yards on 10 carries. Cheatham added touchdown runs of 4 and 5 yards.
John Allen led West Carroll rushers with 47 yards on seven carries.
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MARENGO — Stillman Valley scored 47 unanswered points before Marengo finally got on board at the end of the third quarter.
Keegan Myrvold led the Cardinals (4-0) with two 40-yard touchdown runs. Shay Bubnack, Alex Cox, Shawn Cox and Brandon Schwengels also scored touchdown runs, and Shawn Haas added a 40-yard TD reception from Cody Brewington.
Bobby Gaines (2 run) and Scott Donley (9 run) scored for Marengo.
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ROCKFORD — Guilford’s defense collected seven turnovers and dominated Auburn in a 45-6 victory Friday night at Swanson Stadium.
Auburn could must only six first downs and 144 yards of total offense.
“It’s always the goal to not give them a lot of yards, not many first downs,” junior linebacker Austin Wearsch said. “We knew our game plan and stuck to it.”
Wearsch scored a second-quarter touchdown for Guilford (2-2) when Nate McGuire blocked a punt and Wearsch pounced on the ball in the end zone.
“It’s always fun when you get an opportunity like that,” he said.
BURLINGTON - Ethan Gale had 95 yards and one TD run of 45 yards on 11 carries to lead the Hawks.
Oregon (4-0) also scored on a 3-yard run by Nick McKeon and a 54-yard kick return by Carson Andrew.
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POPLAR GROVE — Chris Wilkins went 12-of-19 for 197 passing yards and added 148 yards on 14 carries for the Cogs (4-0). T.C. Holterhaus had 107 yards on seven catches.
G-K led 21-3 at halftime. Alex Albrecht led North Boone with 128 yards on 16 carries.
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ROCKFORD — Boylan remained unbeaten with a 69-6 win at Jefferson Friday.
Shane Zackery scored the first Boylan touchdown on the first punt of the game and the Titans went on to lead 35-0 after the first quarter.
Jefferson had -38 yards on its first 18 plays.
The win marked the 25th straight NIC-10 victory for the Titans.
The Titans have scored at least 34 points in all their games and have outscored opponents 207-26.
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HARVARD — Harvard (2-2) evened its record with a big night from Dustin Binz (199 yards, two touchdowns, 31 carries).
Lutheran quarterback Jake Koehler had 181 yards on an 18-of-38 night, but the Hornets didn’t allow the Crusaders much on the ground.
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ASHTON - Nate Alden got a tackle for a saftey with four minutes and 26 seconds remaining to give the Bulldogs (2-2) a 16-13 lead and clinch the win.
Aaron Schmelzle rushed for 134 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries. Chase York rushed for 70 yards and the team’s first TD.
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MILLEDGEVILLE — Kirk Engelkens threw for four TD touchdowns and Jake Workman scored four, two running and two receiving. The Missiles (4-0) led 42-6 at halftime.
Durand scored in the second quarter on a 2-yard run by Mitch Alberstett.
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ROCKTON — Meet the PlayStation Huskies.
Whenever Hononegah would score Friday, Harlem would score even faster. Sometimes ridiculously fast. And the Huskies never seemed to stop, scoring touchdowns on seven consecutive drives in a 48-28 NIC-10 drubbing of previously unbeaten Hononegah.
“We made a big statement to the NIC-10: We’re coming for everyone,” said fullback Andy Kennington, who ran for 112 yards on 12 carries.
GALENA — The Pirates easily handled East Dubuque, sending them back home on the short end of a 34-8 game.
Galena had a fourth-and-one at its own 41 on its initial drive of the game, and coach Ed Freed decided to keep the offense in. Matt Hillard (17 carries 112 yards and one touchdown) burst up the middle for three to keep Galena rolling. He then finished the 11-play drive with a 10-yard run to open the scoring.
STOCKTON — After having been shut out for the first three games of the season, Stockton finally scored, couldn't score enough to hang with Orangeville in a 28-6 loss.
Stockton took their first possession 55 yards, reeling off three first downs against the Orangeville Broncos. Brandon Wampfler capped the drive with a 1-yard burst through the line, but a 2-point conversion failed.
BELVIDERE — Belvidere North slowly chipped away at East on Friday, eventually cruising to a 28-6 win in its last home game at Funderburg Stadium.
DAKOTA — For a moment, South Beloit looked competitive against Dakota on Friday night.
The Sobos were within six points of the lead before Dakota (4-0, 3-0 NUIC Northwest) ran over South Beloit, winning 44-8.
“Offensively we probably played as well as we can,” Dakota coach Jerry Lano said. “Defensively, our four young linebackers needed some work. Next week we’ll do a little better.”
After junior running back Tommy Bowers broke off a 57-yard run to the Sobos 5-yard line, Cody Jacobson ran in the remaining yards for the Indians’ first score.
LENA — All season, the Lena-Winslow offense has lived with the attitude that speed kills.
On Friday night, it was the defense’s turn to live by that adage, setting up shop in Pecatonica’s backfield, winning 35-15.
“We thought our speed would really help us against their size,” Lena-Winslow coach Ric Arand said. “They have some big kids and good athletes at the skill positions, so we thought our defense would have to disrupt their timing with speed.”
FREEPORT — The Freeport Homecoming crowd roared as Wes Gastel crossed the goal line in the waning moments of Freeport’s 37-28 win over Belvidere.
Gastel returned a Belvidere onside kick try 48 yards for a touchdown with 2:14 to play.
Gastel extended the Pretzels lead to nine when he caught the onside kick on a high bounce and had a clear path to end zone.
“I thought about just dropping because of the time situation,” Gastel said. “I just didn’t want to risk not getting the first if there wasn’t enough time.”
HAMPSHIRE — After a 20-6 loss to Hampshire, that wasn't as close as the score indicates, Byron finds itself in the critical phase of its season.
The 1-3 Tigers start BNC play with back-to-back games against conference favorites Oregon and Stillman Valley.
Plagued by mental errors, ineffective line play and sloppy tackling against Hampshire (1-3), Byron needs to get better in a hurry.
"This was probably the flattest we've been," Byron coach Mike Elsbury said. "We had mental mistakes on coverage and were diving at the feet on tackles."
ROCKFORD — The Christian Life Eagles once again lost to Walther Lutheran, but coach Chuck Leonard said his team’s effort was the best he’s seen all week.
Walther Lutheran racked up 419 yards in total offense and pitched their eighth straight victory over the Eagles in a 35-6 win in Private School League action on Friday.
Last week, the Eagles lost to Aurora Christian 62-0.
ROCKFORD — Two games, five days, no problem.
"It wasn’t really that hard,” Rockford Christian coach Kirk Heidelberg said. “We just did what we had to do.”
The Royals crushed Arlington Heights Christian Liberty Academy 62-0 Friday at home just four days after they played a make-up game at Winnetka North Shore Country Day.
Monday’s game was postponed from last weekend due to bad weather.
“We were excited when we found out we’d be playing twice this week,” Rockford Christian junior running back Colton Gann said. “It’s not often you have a chance to win two games in one week.”
DIXON — The Dukes played strong defense, but mustered only 73 yards in total offense.
Dixon took an early 2-0 lead by tackling Matt Sondgeroth in the end zone for a safety, but Sondgeroth later returned the second-half kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown.
MAPLE PARK — Quarterback Joe Camiliere scored on a 4-yard run with 4:21 remaining to lift Maple Park Kaneland over Rochelle.
The Hubs outrushed Kaneland 199 yards to 87, but Camiliere completed 17 of 34 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown, while Rochelle had only 63 passing yards.
The Hubs had led on a Ben Schwartz punt return for a touchdown and a 5-yard run by Nate Eyster, but were held scoreless in the second half.
GENOA — Robby Thurlby (134) and Chris Wilkins (106) both ran for more than 100 yards and Chris Wilkins completed 8 of 14 passes for 127 yards to lead balanced Genoa-Kingston.
T.C. Hollernhaus (86) and Ethan Menges (67) had all of the Cogs’ receiving yards. The Cogs led only 14-13 after one quarter, but scored three touchdowns in the second period.
BYRON — David Boyle and Andy Smith scored on a pair of 1-yard runs to help Byron overcome a 9-0 second-quarter deficit.
Smith’s run put the Tigers ahead 14-9 in the third quarter. Devon Pace added a 23-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
ROCKTON — Brett McWilliams ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries to lead Hononegah (3-0). The Indians ran for 280 yards on 45 carries and led 41-0 at the half. Collin Rohs, Brian Bean and Dan Hardyman each ran for one touchdown.
Mario Manns scored on an 85-yard run on his only carry for Jefferson (0-3) in the fourth quarter.
WINNEBAGO — Michael Sojka and Seth Gustafson eached topped 100 yards rushing and combined for five touchdowns Friday night to lead Winnebago (2-1) to a 34-13 Big Northern football victory over Marengo.
Gustafson had 102 yards and TDs of 25 and 75 yards on six carries. Sojka had 104 yards on 13 carries and TD runs of 16, 37 and 2 yards.
Scott Donley (148 yards) and Bobby Gaines (105) also ran well for Marengo, but Marengo scored only one offensive touchdown. It added a 91-yard kick return by Donley for the final score after Winnebago already led 34-7.
ROCKFORD — Antwan Teal’s long kickoff returns helped Auburn start it’s first four drives in Harlem territory. The Knights, though, went backward on two of those possessions in Friday’s 40-14 NIC-10 football loss.
“When you don’t capitalize against a good team like this, it comes back and burns you,” Auburn coach Billy Cook said.
ROCKFORD - Five different Titans scored Boylan’s first five touchdowns to lead the Titans (3-0) to their 23rd consecutive NIC-10 victory.
East (1-2), which snapped a three-year losing streak last week, did not complete a pass and finished with only 54 total yards.
Boylan scored all 48 of its points in the first half.
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The Durand football team had a frustrating night in the rain Friday, losing 14-0 at Ashton-Franklin Center.
A-FC’s Kyle Bridgeman plunged in for a 2-yard touchdown run in the first, and A-FC returned an interception for a touchdown in the fourth to go ahead by two scores.
The Bulldogs had their chances on offense but couldn’t convert.
“We had opportunities and didn’t make plays,” Durand coach Matt Kinney said. “We’d drive down the field and get a penalty or drop a snap.”
STOCKTON – For the third straight week, Stockton was unable to put a point on the board. In a game far closer than the final score would indicate, East Dubuque came away with a 22-0 victory.
Until the final minutes of the game, Stockton fought East Dubuque to a tough defensive standstill, holding the Warriors to a single touchdown since the 4:40 mark in the first quarter. A steady rain produced conditions that slowed both teams on offense, but the sloppy field did not contribute to any major turnovers.
ORANGEVILLE - Three big plays spelled the difference between Polo and Orangeville on Friday night, as the Marcos earned a hard-fought 12-8 victory on the Broncos' home field.
Polo running back Drew Cheathem opened the scoring, racing 58 yards up the middle on the third play from scrimmage for the Marcos, to put the visitors a touchdown ahead with just under five minutes gone in the first quarter. A two-point conversion attempt failed, and Orangeville faced a 6-0 deficit.
FORRESTON – If the desire to succeed breeds creativity, then Lena-Winslow must be desperate to win.
The Panthers used some creative play calling to top Forreston 35-6 Friday night.
“We have to get a little creative and use our speed because we won’t be able to rely on our size,” Lena-Winslow coach Ric Arand said. “We have to do those reverses and misdirection plays.”
The misdirection plays were working all evening, as the Panthers scored on a pair of end-arounds and picked up big yards on power sweeps.
FREEPORT — Galena expected Freeport Aquin to compete Friday night, but it probably didn’t expect the Bulldogs to be the first to score within the first six minutes of the game.
But after a Cody Gallagher (108 yards on 21 carries) 61-yard touchdown run, the Bulldogs did just that.
“That was definitely a wake up call for us tonight,” Galena running back Matt Hillard said. “But Aquin is a good team and they were going to come at us hard tonight.”
LANARK — As the rain fell harder Friday night, it got worse and worse for Eastland-Pearl City, losing to Spring Valley Hall, 27-8.
On a night when senior running back Jerime Coombes had to sit out because of an injury, Eastland-Pearl City needed him most.
The Wildcats started by pounding the run, but ended up having to go to the air by the end of the game.
Carcy Swalve lead the Wildcats with 73 yards on 12 carries, but the big story was EPC's the passing game.
STILLMAN VALLEY - After Stillman Valley's 21-0 win over Richmond-Burton, what impressed coach Mike Lalor most was how coachable this year's team is.
Dressing only 23 players, the Cardinals gave R-B a textbook lessen in effective labor practices.
"In practice, only one person sets in scrimmages," Lalor said. "Everyone gets reps. That's helps in a game."
PECATONICA – The battle between a pair of undefeated NUIC teams did not pan out Friday night.
A steady rainfall and a speedy Missile defense grounded Pecatonica’s passing attack, and led by quarterback Kirk Engelkens’ arm and legs, Milledgeville rolled over the Indian hosts 28-6. Engelkens rushed for 174 yards and a touchdown and threw for 72 more with a TD pass as the No. 3-ranked (Class 1A) Missiles stayed on track.
BELVIDERE – Rockford Guilford and Belvidere came into Friday night both desperate for its first win of the season.
The Vikings, expected by some to contend for the NIC-10 title, was last in the conference in scoring, having been outscored 63-6 in the first two games. Belvidere has made the playoffs the past seven years, but the Bucs have also had a rough start to the season.
Thanks to the return of five starters and a beefed up rushing attack, Guilford finally got that elusive first win with a 31-0 win over Belvidere on a sloppy field at Funderburg Stadium.
OREGON - In a game plagued by fumbles and slippery field conditions, Oregon needed a field goal in double overtime to edge Hampshire 11-8.
After Hampshire failed to convert on a fourth-down play in the second overtime, Jeff Yount kicked a fourth-down 22-yard field goal for the Hawk win.
"The longer the game went, I had a feeling it was going to come down to a field goal or extra point,"
Yount said.
Yount's kick was dead center off the hold of Ryan McWethy, who moments earlier scored a touchdown and extra point in the first overtime for Oregon.
ROCK ISLAND — Kyle Smith gave Byron the lead with a 60-yard run midway through the fourth quarter, but Rock Island Alleman answered right back, scoring the winning touchdown in an 18-14 victory on a 1-yard run with four minutes left.
Byron (0-2) led 7-0 at halftime on an 11-yard pass from David Boyle to Brady Scheffler and Devon Pace’s extra-point kick. Pace’s kicks looked like they might be the difference after Alleman scored twice in the third quarter and Smith (155 yards on 22 carries) broke his big run, but the defense couldn’t hold.
RACINE, Wis. — Eric Oertel came through with another dominant performance to lead Racine Lutheran to a 49-7 victory. The senior running back rushed for 177 yards and five touchdowns on 19 carries Racince (2-0).
In two games this season, Oertel has rushed for 335 yards and seven touchdowns.
“He had a heck of a night,” Racine offensive coordinator Gino Perfetto said. “We played really well up front. The offensive line did a good job”
ST. JOSEPH — Stillman Valley survived a 92-yard touchdown return after its first touchdown to dominate annual state power St. Joseph-Ogden, 44-25.
The Cardinals (2-0) led 22-6 after one quarter, despite that return. Shay Bubnack sandwiched 2- and 1-yard TD runs around Shawn Haas’ 47-yard TD reception from Cody Brewington as Stillman dominated a team that has finished second in state four times since 1989.
Bubnack added a third TD run, this one of 91 yards, and Alex Cox added two short TD runs of 1 and 3 yards.
WINNEBAGO — Jeff Sartorious completed 8 of 11 passes for 100 yards and Seth Gustafson ran for 120 yards on 18 carries to lead Winnebago (1-1), to a 21-13 victory.
Gustafson gave the Indians a 14-7 halftime lead with TD runs of 41 and 28 yards. Matt Hamel pushed it to 21-7 with a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter.
The Indians held the Whip-Purs (0-2) to 65 yards rushing on 21 carries.
ROCHELLE — Dan Ruppenthal ran for 132 yards and two TDs on 20 carries to lead Rochelle’s dominant ground game.
The Hubs ran for 337 yards in their 30-0 win, with Austin Gabriel adding 93 and Ben Schwart 63. Nate Eyster completed 4 of 7 passes for 54 yards and one TD for the Hubs (2-0), who scored one TD in each quarter.
Dixon (1-1) was held to 95 yards, including 28 yards rushing on 25 carries.
SAVANNA — Pecatonica’s Nick Holeton scored on a 12-yard run with 2:36 remaining to end a tight game, 12-2, at West Carroll.
“It was quite a defensive game,” West Carroll coach Dave Baisden said.
Pecatonica started with a 17-yard pass from Dakota Longenecker to Brock Day in the second quarter. West Carroll got on the board with a safety just before halftime, and the score was 6-2 until Holeton’s run.
DURAND — Orangeville, with a young team toughened by adversity last year, is building a turnaround season. The Broncos, 5-31 the previous four seasons, improved to 2-0 with another tight victory, 13-6, led by Riley Kubatzke’s 169 yards rushing.
Kubatzke put the Broncos ahead 7-0 at the half with a 1-yard run in the first quarter. Bob Sweet pulled Durand (0-2) to within 7-6 with a 1-yard run in the third quarter, but Orangeville’s Steve Snider added a 1-yard TD run in the fourth. Mitch Alberstett led Durand with 102 yards rushing.
FORRESTON - Andrew Ballard ran for first-quarter touchdowns of 28 and 13 yards and finished with 179 yards on 24 carries to lead Forreston over Chicago International Charter School-Longwood.
- rrstar.com
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.
MACHESNEY PARK - The Bucs hung around until midway through the second quarter Friday night, but Harlem went on a roll late in the first half and barreled over Belvidere the rest of the way, strolling to a 36-13 win.
Harlem wingback Keith Purifoy rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown while averaging 16.5 yards per carry, and quarterback Keenan Kellett completed only two passes, but they went for 47 yards with a TD to tightend Casey Beck.
AURORA — Aurora Christian led 48-0 at halftime over a Christian Life team missing four starters out with injuries and 26 players on the roster.
Aurora Christian ran back two interceptions for touchdowns.
