By Greg Halbleib
The Big Twelve Conference football race has ended in a three-way tie after Peoria defeated Normal Community Friday night. Playoff pairings will be announced Saturday night as WJBC-AM 1230 will host a Playoff Pairings Show from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Peoria 32, Normal Community 18: Peoria (8-1, 7-1 Big Twelve) jumped out to a 26-3 lead at halftime although Normal Community (7-2, 7-1) cut the deficit to 26-18 after three quarters with a 74-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Tracy from Aidan Oliver and an eight-yard scoring run by Camron Jackson. Oliver led the Ironmen with 50 yards rushing and 123 yards passing while Jackson contributed 49 yards on the ground. Lions quarterback Gabe Hernandez racked up 289 yards through the air with four passing touchdowns and one rushing score. Kaevian Mack registered eight catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns for the Lions. The teams tie with Normal West for the conference title.
Bloomington 54, Champaign Centennial 6: Bloomington (4-5, 4-4 Big Twelve) recorded two interceptions for touchdowns by linebacker Anthony Curry while quarterback Ben Wellman passed for 59 yards with one touchdown. Montez Dubose rushed for 105 yards on 27 carries for Centennial (0-9, 0-8).
Normal West 63, Urbana 0: Normal West (7-2, 7-1 Big Twelve) forced six turnovers and allowed only one play in Wildcat territory by Urbana (1-8, 1-7). West recorded three defensive touchdowns, including an interception return by Zack Marcotte and fumble returns by Scott Tippy and DeAris McQuirter.
Tolono Unity 27, Central Catholic 7: The lone score for Central Catholic (3-6, 3-6 Illini Prairie) was a 71-yard touchdown pass to Jack Moews from Jonathan Naour in the second quarter. Unity (8-1, 8-1) registered three touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown from quarterback Nate Reinhart.
U-High 34, Decatur Eisenhower 26: Spencer Parker rushed 16 times for 130 yards and a touchdown plus three catches for 112 yards and a touchdown to lead U-High (3-6, 3-6 Central State Eight). Cam Barclay was 6 of 14 passing for 167 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the victorious Pioneers while Peter Deffenbaugh added 18 carries for 149 yards and two touchdowns. U-High jumped out to a two-touchdown lead but back-and-forth scoring kept the game close. Eisenhower finishes 0-9.
Week 9 scores:
Big Twelve:
Peoria 32, Normal Community 18
Normal West 63, Urbana 0
Bloomington 54, Champaign Centennial 6
Danville 49, Peoria Notre Dame 42
Champaign Central 23, Peoria Manual 18
Illini Prairie:
Tolono Unity 27, Central Catholic 7
Prairie Central 52, St. Thomas More 20
Illinois Valley Central 35, Olympia 14
Pontiac 22, Rantoul 6
Monticello 35, St. Joseph-Ogden 6
Central State Eight:
Chatham Glenwood 56, Rochester 26
U-High 34, Decatur Eisenhower 26
Springfield 50, Jacksonville 24
Sacred Heart-Griffin 39, Decatur MacArthur 8
Springfield Southeast 30, Springfield Lanphier 22
Heart of Illinois Large:
Eureka 34, Tri-Valley 3
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 19, Deer Creek-Mackinaw 0
Fieldcrest 34, El Paso-Gridley 7
Heart of Illinois Small:
Fisher 55, LeRoy 36
Tremont 32, Heyworth 7
Central Illinois:
Clinton 28, Warrensburg-Latham 6
Lincoln Prairie:
Argenta-Oreana 63, Blue Ridge 8
Sangamon Valley:
Paxton-Buckley-Loda 41, Dwight-Gardner-South Wilmington 21
Non-Conference:
Lincoln 41, Macomb 7
Nokomis 8, Ridgeview-Lexington 0
Eight-Man:
Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland 48, Rockford Christian Life 0
Sports Director Greg Halbleib can be reached at greg@wjbc.com.
