By Greg Halbleib
Week 4 of the high school football schedule contained several area games that went down to the final horn.
Normal West 17, Bloomington 14
West (3-1) took the lead with 4:23 left on a 9-yard run by Davion McQuirter to cap an 89-yard drive over three minutes. The Wildcats sealed the win when Gavin Tellor intercepted a Griffin Moore pass at the West 10-yard line with just over a minute remaining.
West took a 10-0 first quarter lead on a 17-yard pass from Carson Camp to Magnus Moeller and a 25-yard field goal by Parker Theobald, but Bloomington (3-1) closed to 10-7 by halftime with a 2-yard run by Moore to cap an 83-yard drive and moved ahead 14-10 midway through the third quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run by Holden Snyder before McQuirter regained the lead for good for West.
For West, McQuirter carried 17 times for 99 yards while Camp was 11-of-20 through the air for 120 yards and a touchdown. Bloomington’s Griffin Moore completed 14 of his 21 passes for 191 yards but with two interceptions.
“Dominating the time of possession is something that we’re taking a lot of pride in this year,” said West coach Nathan Fincham. “That first quarter we did well, and the second quarter they made some adjustments and did a good job, but overall I was pretty happy with that first quarter.”
“I think we finally settled in after those first couple of drives,” said Bloomington coach Scott Godfrey. “We got used to their hurry-up, which is tough to simulate out of your guys in practice each day. If you hold that offense to 17 points, you’re supposed to win a game. We had a lot of miscues that we’re going to watch and hopefully we’re going to learn from this and grow from this going down the stretch.”
Neuqua Valley 36, Normal Community 35
After Normal Community (3-1) went ahead with 37 seconds remaining on a Connor Lay jet sweep of 36 yards, Neuqua Valley (2-2) returned the kickoff for a touchdown, then barely got into the end zone on the two-point conversion.
NCHS quarterback Daylen Boddie completed 9 of 15 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns, and added 14 carries for 137 yards and a touchdown.
“I couldn’t be prouder of how our kids played, bouncing back, coming back, making stops, making plays,” Ironmen coach Jason Drengwitz said. “They handled adversity well in a type of game we haven’t gotten to play in very often in the regular season. So, very disappointed, but I think in the long haul it’s a game that makes us a better team.”
Olympia 22, Central Catholic 15
All of the scoring in the battle of teams looking for their first win came in the first half, with Central Catholic taking a 15-14 lead after one quarter. Olympia scored what ended up being the winning touchdown late in the second quarter on a 16-yard run by Matthew Cooksey, who finished with 201 yards rushing on 18 carries and all three Spartan touchdowns. The Olympia defense sealed the win with two interceptions in the final 5:30.
“It means there’s hope,” Olympia coach Eric Lyons said about the win. “That’s the truth. It means the future’s bright and Olympia football is coming for people and they’d better be ready.”
Saints quarterback Connor Boerm was 12-for-20 through the air with 162 yards and a touchdown but three interceptions. Reece Seidl ran 17 times for 172 yards for the Saints.
Jacksonville 36, U-High 12
The Pioneers (0-4) scored on their first drive to take their first lead of the year, but Jacksonville (2-2) surged back to take a 14-10 lead when they picked up a fumbled punt and later scored to put the game out of reach.
“They had some weird stuff happen,” recalled U-High coach John Johnson. “We block a punt but they pick it up and get a first down, they snap a ball over the quarterback’s head and run it for a first down. We just can’t get any breaks this year, I guess.”
U-High quarterback Dawson Brooks was 10 of 34 for 117 yards and two interceptions. The Crimsons ran for 370 yards in the win.
Eureka 19, Deer Creek-Mackinaw 18
The visiting Hornets (3-1, 1-1 Heart of Illinois Large) held off the Chiefs (2-2, 0-2) in a tight affair at Jim McDonald Field in Mackinaw. Eureka quarterback Matt Martin carried 28 times for 106 yards and a touchdown while throwing for another.
“Our offense is pretty young but led by some solid seniors that don’t tend to buck under pressure,” said Eureka coach Jason Bachman. “It’s that mindset that we’re looking to get better with each play, each down, each quarter, each half. It’s a great win for us.”
Dee-Mack quarterback Zack Horve was 11-of-18 in the air with 162 yards and a touchdown. Levi Schuermann connected with Horve five times for 102 yards and a touchdown.
Tri-Valley 42, El Paso-Gridley 6
The Vikings (2-2) led throughout their Homecoming game behind 171 yards on 12 carries by Hunter Gawlik and 115 yards on nine rushes by Cole Maxedon.
“The main thing was establishing the line of scrimmage,” Vikings coach Josh Roop said. “Our kids were not happy with what happened last week and they made some adjustments in their effort and their attitude this week and played good Tri-Valley football.”
Week 4 scores:
Big Twelve
Normal West 17, Bloomington 14
Danville 33, Champaign Centennial 14
Peoria 76, Peoria Manual 0
Peoria Notre Dame 32, Peoria Richwoods 7
Urbana at Champaign Central, Sat. 10 a.m.
Illini Prairie
Pontiac 36, Prairie Central 30
Olympia 22, Central Catholic 15
Monticello 50, Rantoul 0
St. Thomas More 42, Illinois Valley Central 41
Central State Eight:
Jacksonville 36, U-High 12
Chatham Glenwood 60, Decatur Eisenhower 16
Rochester 22, Decatur MacArthur 14
Springfield 63, Springfield Lanphier 28
Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 70, Springfield Southeast 26
Heart of Illinois Large:
Eureka 19, Deer Creek-Mackinaw 18
Tri-Valley 42, El Paso-Gridley 6
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 48, Fieldcrest 6
Heart of Illinois Small:
Fisher 58, Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland 0
Ridgeview-Lexington 21, Heyworth 7
LeRoy 28, Tremont 22 (4 OT)
Apollo:
Effingham 36, Lincoln 0
Central Illinois:
Clinton 35, Macon Meridian 0
Sangamon Valley:
Clifton Central 46, Dwight 23
Non-Conference:
Neuqua Valley 36, Normal Community 35
Milledgeville 61, Blue Ridge 0
Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].
