By Greg Halbleib
The Normal West Wildcats enjoyed a Homecoming fireworks show on Friday night. Then some pyrotechnics lit up the sky.
West (4-1, 3-1 Big Twelve) ralled from a 13-point deficit after three quarters to take a thrilling 33-32 win over Peoria (3-2, 3-1). Carson Camp connected in the fourth quarter on two of his three touchdown passes, including a 27-yard strike to Cole Hernandez with 25.1 seconds remaining to set up the winning extra point by Parker Theobald.
Hernandez recorded five catches for 100 yards as Davion McQuirter ran for 125 yards and a touchdown.
Wildcats coach Nathan Fincham praised his team’s resilience.
“Just the way they handled themselves when they were down, when things weren’t looking good,” Fincham said. “I’m just so proud of the way they continued to battle. When they come off the sideline, even if it wasn’t a positive drive, they said, ‘Hey, we got it next time, we got this.’ That’s what it’s all about, learning to fight through adversity and coming through.”
U-High 41, Springfield Lanphier 12
The Pioneers (1-4) broke open a close game with 21 second-quarter points on the way to their first victory. Dawson Brooks connected on 15 of 24 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns.
“It was a good matchup for us. We needed it,” U-High coach John Johnson said. “We’ve gone through four weeks of big guys, it seems, offense and defense, and our kids got worn down. I told them coming into the week that they were the same size as us and maybe we could get one, and we did.”
Normal Community 48, Peoria Manual 14
The Ironmen (4-1, 4-0 Big Twelve) remained on top of the conference with the decisive victory. Quarterback Daylen Boddie left the game in the second quarter and was seen on crutches with ice on his knee, but NCHS coach Jason Drengwitz said the star quarterback was simply held out as a precaution and could have played.
“Give Manual a lot of credit. They’re tough, they’re physical, they never quit,” Drengwitz said. “They exposed some things we’ve definitely got to get better at if we want to work towards a Big Twelve championship and make the playoffs.”
Monticello 56, Central Catholic 8
Monticello (5-0) opened the scoring on a punt return for a touchdown before their first offensive play, setting the tone for the one-sided victory. Central Catholic fell to 0-5.
Tri-Valley 27, LeRoy 0
The game between rival neighbors was scoreless at halftime, but 20 third-quarter points put the visiting Vikings (3-2) well in front of the host Panthers (2-3). Zach Woodring carried 17 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns for Tri-Valley.
Week 5 scoreboard:
Big Twelve:
Normal West 33, Peoria 32
Normal Community 48, Peoria Manual 14
Champaign Central 28, Peoria Richwoods 17
Illini Prairie:
Monticello 56, Central Catholic 8
Pontiac 42, St. Joseph-Ogden 20
Prairie Central 48, IVC 14
Central State Eight:
Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 45, Rochester 6
Decatur MacArthur 38, Springfield Southeast 32
Chatham Glenwood 42, Jacksonville 3
Springfield 64, Decatur Eisenhower 28
Apollo:
Taylorville 43, Lincoln 26
Central Illinois:
Tuscola 20, Clinton 11
Sangamon Valley:
Dwight 23, Watseka 6
Non-Conference:
Tri-Valley 27, LeRoy 0
Deer Creek-Mackinaw 33, Heyworth 20
Eureka 49, Ridgeview-Lexington 14
Tremont 13, El Paso-Gridley 6
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 56, Fisher 0
Fieldcrest 61, Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland 8
Paris 63, Blue Ridge 0
SATURDAY (at Memorial Stadium, Champaign):
Champaign Centennial vs. Peoria Notre Dame, 10 a.m.
Olympia vs. Tolono Unity, 1 p.m.
Bloomington vs. Urbana, 4 p.m. (live WJBC.com [broadcast link here])
Rantoul vs. St. Thomas More, 7 p.m.
Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].
