The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
The Illini West Chargers picked up a huge “Senior Night” win against the visiting Bureau Valley Storm 34 – 7 last Friday night at Fuzz Burgess field. The victory was the 4th in a row for the Chargers as they move above the .500 mark at 4 – 3 on the season.
The Chargers got off to a slow start in this game as the Storm controlled the football and field position throughout the entire 1st quarter. Only timely stops by the Charger defense kept the score knotted at 0 – 0 as the Storm threatened to score throughout the first quarter.
Finally on their 3rd possession the Chargers started to get their offensive footing. A 13-yard run by senior Nick Johnson gave the offense a little room to operate at their own 25-yard line. Three plays later a 15-yard completion from junior quarterback Ethan Carlisle to senior flanker Tre Neiderman put the IW offense out to the 40-yard line. The tandem would hook again for 17 yards, putting the Chargers in Storm territory for the first time all night early in the 2nd quarter.
The Chargers aerial success continued when two plays later Carlisle would hit a wide open Max Kinnamon at the Storm 35-yard line. The senior wingback would then race the rest of the way to a 48-yard score. Carlisle would then hit Niederman for the successful 2-point conversion pass and an Illini West 8 – 0 advantage at the 9:56 mark of the 2nd quarter.
The Storm would then drive 45 yards deep into the Charger territory again before the IW defense would step up for a big stop at their own 20-yard line. The Charger defensive front of seniors Shawn Watkins, Roan Jackson and junior Izik Jones keyed the stop of a pivotal 4th and 2 run by the Storm that ended their drive, giving the ball back to the Chargers.
Four plays later, senior Nick Johnson would take a hand-off on a sweep left, and used good blocks by senior guard Carson Purdy and junior guard Chase Yelton, to ultimately sprint 59 yards to a 2nd Charger touchdown. The conversion failed, but the Chargers now led 14 – 0 with 4:48 left in the 1st half.
The Charger defense would step up again and force a three and out, and a punt by the Storm. This punt would give the ball back to the Chargers offense around midfield with an opportunity to try and get another score before the halftime break.
A big 34-yard run by Carlisle would get the Chargers into a position where scoring another TD was now very much a possibility. Forced with 4th and goal from the Storm 14-yard line, Carlisle would take the snap, sprint to his right and then throw across the field to Kinnamon on a screen pass. Kinnamon made the catch and then followed a couple of good blocks in for the score and a 20 – 0 halftime lead.
After the halftime break the two teams would play a bit of a sloppy 3rd quarter that saw an exchange of multiple punts and several penalties. The Storm did make one drive deep into Charger territory, but a big pass break-up by Charger senior defensive back Khile Stonger in the endzone on 4th down turned away that BV scoring opportunity and kept the edge at 20 – 9 for the Chargers.
The Chargers then struck via the big play again after that stop gave them possession deep in their own territory. Following a Storm penalty to keep the drive alive, Johnson would strike like lightning again as he took the ball 75 yards down the Storm sideline. Only a great effort by a Storm defender would keep Johnson from scoring, as he was tackled at the 3-yard line.
A Charger penalty on the next play pushed the IW offense back to the 8-yard line, but Johnson would finish what he had started by taking an option pitch in for his 2nd touchdown of the night. Tristan Mockosch would add a successful PAT kick for a 27 -0 Charger lead with 11:40 left in the 4th quarter.
The Chargers would score one more time following a short drive late in the 4th quarter. This time Carlisle would hit senior wide receiver Stephen Sparks in the corner of the north endzone for a 6-yard touchdown connection. Mockosch added another successful PAT kick for a 34 – 0 Charger edge with 3:22 to go in the contest.
The Storm would respond with their lone touchdown of the night on a 4-yard pass with only .33 left in the game. A successful PAT kick would set the final score at 34 – 7.
The Chargers offense would end up amassing 333 yards after a rough 1st quarter saw them with a negative offensive output. Johnson led the way, as the senior running back produced 170 yards on 16 carries. Carlisle would finish with 38 yards on 13 attempts, with early sacks for 26 yards hurting the junior QB’s total.
Carlisle connected on 9 of 15 pass attempts for 125 yards, including 3 TD’s and 1 interception. Neiderman had 5 receptions for 54 yards, Kinnamon had 2 catches for 62 yards and Sparks had 2 grabs for 9 yards.
The Charger defensive effort was pivotal in this contest as the defense kept the Storm offense out of the endzone for the vast majority of the game. This was especially crucial during the first quarter when the Illini West offense was having trouble getting started. Junior linebacker Isaiah Knotts led the effort with a team-high 13 total tackles (solo tackles plus assists) in the game.
Senior defensive end Roan Jackson posted 10 total tackles, including one for loss, while senior defensive lineman Shawn Watkins had 8 total stops. Senior linebackers Justin Baxter and Stephen Sparks each chipped in 7 total tackles on the night.
Also on the tackle chart were senior Jaydyn Combites (5 total tackles), senior Coleman Gilpin (5), senior Brady Blanton (4), senior Nick Johnson (4), junior Izik Jones (3), senior Khile Stonger (2), senior Max Kinnamon (1), senior Carter Sanderson (1) and senior Tre Neiderman (1).
The Chargers will return to action next Friday, October 18th, when they travel to West Hancock.