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The Heat’s football season ended much like it started, with a 42-8 loss to West Carroll last Saturday in Mt. Carroll.
The Heat, who finished 7-2 in the regular season, earned the 10th seed in the I8FA field of 16 and set up a rematch with West Carroll, who accounted for one of the two Heat regular-season losses, a 42-0 rout in Biggsville in Week 1.
The Heat received the opening kickoff and took over at their own 27-yard line. A 17-yard run by Aidan Garner on 3rd-and-7 picked up the Heat’s first first down of the game.
A 14-yard option keeper by Colton Spence moved the ball into Thunder territory and set up the Heat with first-and-10 at the West Carroll 37.
However, the Thunder defense would bend but not break as Spence’s 4th-down pass was intercepted at the Thunder 8.
The first big play of the game for the Thunder came on third-and-6 as West Carroll’s Aden Buchholz broke off an 88-yard run to give the Thunder the lead. West Carroll tacked on the PAT to make it 7-0.
The Heat started their second drive at the Thunder 45 after recovering the onside attempt. A 14-yard third-down run by Garner moved the ball inside the 30.
A West Carroll offsides penalty moved the ball inside the red zone as the Heat started the second quarter at the Thunder 15. Another big run by Garner, this time for 7 yards on 4th-and-5, set the Heat up with first-and-goal at the 2.
A false-start penalty on what the Heat thought was a TD set them back to 2nd-and-7. The Heat lost a yard on the next three plays, and Garner was tackled short of the end zone on the Heat’s eventual 4th-down attempt, keeping West Central scoreless.
West Carroll took over at its own 3 with 7 minutes left in the half. The Thunder moved the ball down the field, capping off their 97-yard drive with a 6-yard TD run by quarterback Rayce Mix, making it 13-0 Thunder.
The Heat started their third drive of the game at their own 29. A 16-yard scamper by Cameron Robinson moved the ball near midfield with 1:18 left in the half.
West Central followed that up with an 18-yard pitch-and-catch from Spence to Cooper Gibb to put the Heat back into Thunder territory at the West Carroll 34 with under 40 seconds left.
A 19-yard completion to Robinson set the Heat up inside the 10 at the 6-yard line with 10 seconds left in the half.
However, the half ended in disaster as Spence’s pass attempt was picked off by Roger Laborn and returned 95 yards to end the half and give the Thunder all the momentum and a 19-0 lead at the break.
Buchholz added to the Thunder lead with a 5-yard run on West Carroll’s opening drive of the second half. The Thunder tacked on the 2-point conversion to increase their advantage to 27-0.
A 22-yard scamper by Garner got the Heat back across midfield and into Thunder territory on West Central’s first possession of the second half.
However, the Thunder defense stiffened again, forcing a Heat punt from the Thunder 45-yard line. Buchholz again broke free for the Thunder, this time from 54 yards out, and the Heat found themselves in a deep hole as West Carroll tacked on the 2-point conversion to make it a 35-0 advantage with 6:14 left in the third quarter.
Garner returned the kickoff to the Thunder 37 to set up the Heat once again in Thunder territory.
An 18-yard run by Garner moved the ball inside the Thunder 10. But again the Thunder defense stood tall and stopped the Heat 2 yards short of the goal line on 4th-and-5.
Buchholz put the final nail in the coffin with his biggest run of the game, a 97-yard TD run that made it 42-0 Thunder after the successful PAT with 1:52 left in the third.
The 40-point lead activated the running clock. The Heat finally hit paydirt on a 2-yard QB keeper by Spence.
Garner added the 2-point try to make it 42-8 with 6:06 left on the running clock.
That would be the final score as the Heat bowed out in the first round of the I8FA playoffs for the second year in a row.
The Heat had chances to put points on the board early that could have swung momentum and changed the complexion of the game, but the Thunder defense stood strong when it needed to, and Buchholz showed why he is considered one of the best in Illinois 8-man Football.
Garner finished the game with 19 carries for 98 rushing yards. Graham Kelly added 63 rushing yards on 21 carries. Robinson added 19 rushing yards on 3 carries and 19 receiving yards on one catch.
Spence rushed for 37 yards with a score on 7 carries and was 3-for-7 for 43 yards and 2 picks in the air. Gibb recorded one reception for 18 yards, and Johnny Garner recorded one reception for 6 yards.
The Heat’s season comes to an end with a final record of 7-3. West Carroll moves on to take on #2 seed South Fork.