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Chargers Down Ducks 16 – 12 For Home Crowd

Special For The Quill

The Illini West Chargers picked up a hard-fought Prairieland Conference football victory by seizing an early lead and then holding on for a 16 – 12 win over the visiting Havana Ducks last Friday night in Carthage. The Chargers made two first quarter touchdowns and a pair of successful conversions stand up by playing solid defense for most of the game’s 48 minutes. The win improved the Chargers record on the season to 2 – 1 overall, while dropping the Ducks to 1 – 2.

The Chargers took the game’s opening kick-off and marched quickly down the field mixing the run and the pass. A 20-yard run by junior running-back Ian Bentzinger put the Chargers into Duck territory early in the drive and a pair of pass completions from senior QB Gannon Bergmann to junior receiver Jorge Espinoza got the Chargers inside the Duck 20-yard line.

Bergmann then hit senior split end Drake Mudd with a nice completion to put the Chargers inside the Duck 10-yard line. A hard run up the middle by junior running back Thomas Chandler got the Chargers down to the 1-yard line and then Bergmann got the final yard and the touchdown with a strong run off tackle over the Charger left side. Another run by Bergmann added the crucial successful conversion, putting the Chargers up 8 – 0 at the 6:02 mark of the 1st quarter.

After the ensuing Charger kickoff and a Duck penalty on the return set Havana back inside their own 15-yard line, Havana went to the air on their 1st play from scrimmage. Charger senior safety Jerick LeMaire made the Ducks pay by reading the pass route and cutting in front of the errant toss to intercept the ball for the Charger’s defense at the Duck 43-yard line. LeMaire’s return off the pick would set the Illini West offense up with a short field at the Duck’s 29-yard line.

The Chargers’ offense then quickly went to work again. Bergmann netted 10 quick yards on a scramble and senior Max Dittmer took a jet sweep left for another good gain to get the Chargers inside the Duck 10-yard line. Bergmann then went the final 8 yards on a pair of power runs to paydirt and the score. Bergmann then hit Bentzinger with a pass in the left flat and the Charger junior powered his way into the end zone for the successful conversion and a 16 – 0 Charger lead at the 2:53 mark of the first quarter. The Illini West rout appeared to be well on its way. Unfortunately, the game did not continue that way and the Chargers were in a battle the rest of the way.

Through much of the remainder of the game both teams battled back and forth between the two 20-yard lines. The Chargers offense hurt themselves with 4 turnovers (2 fumbles and 2 interceptions) and some hit-and-miss execution. The Ducks fared little better offensively, as they turned the ball over 5 times (1 fumble and 4 interceptions) and committed 7 penalties.

An early 2nd quarter Havana drive did reach deep into Charger territory. With Havana’s offense Inside the IW 10-yard line, Charger defensive end Reese Shoup tackled the Duck runner along the Havana sideline for a 2-yard loss. The next play saw the Duck QB throw across the field and Charger senior defensive back Max Dittmer read the play for a drive-stopping interception.

Following a short-lived Charger drive deep in their own territory, the next Duck possession again reached just inside the Charger 20-yard line. This time a fumble recovery by Shoup ended the Havana possession and kept the Ducks offense out of the end zone.

The Ducks finally did find the endzone late in the first half on a 39-yard touchdown pass. However the Charger defense rose-up on the crucial conversion run to stop the Ducks short of the endzone. The teams went into the halftime break with Illini West now up 16 – 6.

The teams’ initial possessions of the 3rd period saw an exchange of turnovers with LeMaire ending another Duck drive into Charger territory with an interception. This takeaway gave IW some short-lived momentum as Bergmann had a pass picked off to give the ball back to the Havana offense. This pattern would continue until late in the game, as the teams traded multiple possessions via either turnovers or punts.

Havana would finally take advantage of an offensive opportunity late in the game to put the Illini West win in doubt. The Ducks used good field position and a couple of screen passes to get into the end zone and close their deficit to 16 – 12. The Chargers would then face some adversity that would test their “will to win”.

After their score, a failed Havana on-side kick opportunity gave Illini West good field position at midfield. Unfortunately, the Chargers would fumble on their very first play while trying to protect their tenuous 4-point lead. Havana then had possession and momentum with two minutes left to play in the game.

The Ducks went to the air and after a pair of failed pass attempts, Havana went deep down their own sideline. Charger senior defensive back Max Dittmer maintained good coverage on the Duck receiver and then high-pointed the ball to snare the game-saving interception along the east sideline. The Chargers then ran out the clock on a 16 – 12 victory.

The two teams’ offensive output reflected the game’s narrow outcome. Havana picked up 267 total yards with 179 coming via the pass and 88 yards rushing. Illini West would counter with 225 total yards, with 155 rushing and 70 passing. Illini West did dominate time of possession with nearly 30 minutes of ball control in the games overall 48 minutes.

Bergmann completed 10 of 18 pass attempts to net those 70 yards passing, with two interceptions. Dittmer caught 3 passes for 21 yards, while Peyton Brown, Espinoza, and Drake Mudd all had 2 receptions for 14 yards apiece. Senior Aiden Moore had a lone grab for 7 yards.

The Charger running attack was more substantial and consistent on this night than had been seen in the previous two games. Bergmann was the workhorse of the group with 22 carries for 86 yards. Brown chipped in with 9 carries for 35 yards, while Bentzinger and Thomas Chandler split 34 yards on 10 carries.

The Charger tackle chart was topped by LeMaire with 7 tackles, to go along with his pair of key interceptions. Shoup added 4 tackles, including a pair of tackles for loss. Junior defensive tackle Nick Huls added 3 stops and a tackle for loss as well. Also on the tackle chart were: Bradley Miller (2 tackles), Dittmer (2 tackles and 2 big interceptions), Bentzinger (2 tackles). Brown, Chandler, Espinoza, Mudd and Shawn Watkins had one tackle apiece.

This win was much needed for the Chargers as they will now travel this Friday to perennial Prairieland powerhouse Farmington. The Farmers stand at 2 – 1 after a non-conference loss in their opener and a pair of blow-out 50-point victories in their two conference wins. This will be a very stern test for the Chargers and they will need to play their absolute best football in order to have a chance to win.