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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
ROCKTON - The game featured eight fumbles, 13 penalties and a combined 18 yards passing.
On a ragged opening night Friday, Hononegah coach Tim Sughroue was just glad to get out with a win, after the Indians took control late in a 41-14 win over Belvidere.
“I expected a few of those kinds of things in the first game, but that was way too many,” Sughroue said. “But Belvidere is a great program, and no matter how you win against them, it’s a good win.”
