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.
“Yeah, now we can talk about it. I think we’re ready,” said Robinson, who completed all seven of his passes, with three going for touchdowns. “That’s going to be a big game; a very big game. It will definitely have a playoff feel.”
Before the Indians could start getting pumped up to face the Titans, they had to take care of the E-Rabs. And after East quarterback Michael Dye completed a 39-yard pass deep into Indian territory, and followed that up with a 5-yard TD run to tie the game at 7-all, the Indians’ sideline got awfully quiet.
“They stacked the middle and they decided they were going to take away Brett (McWilliams). I don’t blame them,” Hononegah coach Tim Sughroue said. “We had to adjust, and Chase (Robinson) did a nice job.”
Robinson broke the tie a minute later with a 49-yard TD strike to Meier, the first of two touchdown catches for the starting QB to open the season. Robinson plowed in for a 1-yard scoring run to start the second quarter, and when he hit Meier in the end zone on a 28-yard post pattern to open the third quarter, the rout was on.
East’s Joe Johnson broke free for a 49-yard TD run on the last play of the third, and Anthony Hernandez capped off a late drive with a 1-yard TD plunge, but the E-Rabs were already out of reach.
“Any quarterback loves to throw the ball around, no matter what,” Robinson added. “But with this offense, we go with whatever’s working.
“Now we get ready for an intense week of practice, and a shootout next Friday.”
Hononegah will hit the road to face Boylan (7-0, 7-0) at Titan Stadium, hoping to knock their rivals back onto their level.
- Jay Taft, rrstar.com
