Sports

CROSS COUNTRY SECTIONAL

Erie-Prophetstow n and Riverdale boys teams heading to 2A state meet in Peor ia

Photos by Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media Boys cross country teams from Riverdale and Erie-Prophetstown qualified for the state meet Nov. 6 after competing at the Class 1A Oregon Sectional on Saturday. Riverdale took second in the team standings with Tommy Murray finishing second and Landis Musser fifth. Murray took second just three seconds behind Brock Loftus of Amboy. The Rams also got a 12th-place finish from Peyton Sand with Cameron Overton 22nd and Caden Ludin 30th. Rockford Christian won the sectional title with 49 points to Riverdale’s 66. Erie-Prophetstown also qualified for state with a sixth-place finish with Jacob Gibson placing 44th and Lucas Dreisbach 47th. ABOVE LEFT: Erie-Prophetstown’s Victor Bonnell runs at the sectional. CENTER: Tommy Murray and Amboy’s Brock Loftus turn a corner during the race. RIGHT: Riverdale’s Landis Musser comes across the finish line in fifth place.

TOP SHOTS

Erie student s par ticipat ed in the 10,000 Shot Club

The following young men and women from Erie competed in the 10,000 Shot Club this summer.

If a student shoots 100 shots every day between Memorial Day and Labor Day, they have shot 10,000 times.

If they choose to do this every summer between their third grade year up to the summer before their senior year, they will have attempted 100,000 shots.

This is quite an accomplishment for the students.

The purpose is to motivate students to create good shooting skills and instill a good work ethic.

T h e f o l l o w i n g s t u d e n t s h a v e made such accomplishments: 10,000 shots: Blake Burns 20,000 shots: Brady Timmerman 30,000 shots: Brady Burns 70,000 shots: Kiera Ary

FOOTBALL 1A PLAYOFF

Steamers score early, often to beat Raiders 42-0

BY CODY CUTTER ccutter@shawmedia.com

FULTON - In high school football’s “second season,” starting off on the right track can increase the determination for the ultimate goal of a state championship.

That’s what the Fulton Steamers l a r g e l y d i d S a t u r d ay a f t e r n o o n a t Steamer Field in a 42-0 blanking of Chicago’s Al Raby School for Community and Environment.

The Steamers (8-2) cruise into the second round of the 1A playoffs at Ottawa Marquette; they’ll play at 1 p.m. Saturday at Gould Stadium.

Aside from a few more penalties Saturday than they usually see, the Steamers methodically did the job they went out to do: drive, score, and control the tempo.

By halftime, the Steamers had outgained the Raiders 308-45 in offensive yardage and kept that same 6-to-1 ratio by the time the mercy-rule running clock began in the fourth quarter.

“Our effort on the O-line and D-line has been pretty good,” Steamers twoway lineman Kole Schipper said. “Ever since our homecoming week [Week 5], we’ve stepped it up astronomically. Things have come together well in recent weeks, and our mentality has changed since then.”

Ryan Eads started the Steamers’ scoring with a 35-yard run around the right end after 2 minutes, 15 seconds of play for a 7-0 lead after Endi Qunaj’s first of six successful point-after kicks for the day. Keegan VanKampen had a pair of 1-yard touchdown scores; the first came with 4:03 left in the first quarter for a 14-0 lead, and the other came in the third quarter to put his team up 35-0.

Quarterback Patrick Lower took to the air to add to the Steamers’ lead with two passing touchdowns in the second quarter. His scoring strikes to Daken Pessman from 9 yards out and Baylen Damhoff from 11 yards gave Fulton a 28-0 lead at halftime.

“We had a good game plan all week, and if we knew we executed it, we knew we could kind of do anything we wanted to against these guys,” Lower said. “We came out and executed with a five-play drive at the beginning of the game, and we just kept rolling from there the whole first half.”

The Lower-to-Damhoff scoring connection came on a drive which saw the Steamers convert on a second-and-45 situation. A pair of 15-yard penalties pinned the Steamers close to its own red zone, but a pair of double digit-yardage plays, first on a run and the second on a pass, erased the country mile of a setback.

S t e a m e r s c o a c h P a t r i c k L o w e r attested the long conversion to an experienced group of players who have been in many backs-against-the-wall game situations before, he said. The experience also was instrumental in identifying Raby’s blitzes through the middle of the line when those adjustments were made in the second quarter.

“A veteran group like that can tell us what they’re doing, and we were able to open up stuff in the passing game and then open up stuff on the outside,” coach Lower said. “They’ll let us know that, and it makes it easier to call plays like that when they can tell you what’s going on out there.

“These guys have been through a lot of games. They’ve played together for a long time, and they executed very well.”

Jacob Jones scored on a 2-yard scamper in the fourth quarter to force the game clock to run continuously. During the second half, the official time had to be kept by the officiating crew with their own clocks due to a scoreboard malfunction.

Schipper led the Steamers with 1.5 tackles for loss and also recovered a Raiders fumble.

“We need to take out the penalties and just play smart,” Schipper said.

Raby (6-4) didn’t get a first down u n t i l q u a r t e r b a c k J a l e n M o n r o e ’ s 14-yard keeper with 26 seconds left in the first half; only one other play from the Raiders saw double-digit yardage. Monroe led the Raiders with 37 yards on 14 carries. Terrian Thomas led the Raider defense with 1.5 tackles for loss.

“They were a lot more physical than we thought,” the younger Lower said, “but we matched it well and did a good job of executing all day.”

The Raiders end their season a far cry from the team they were when this season started. Just four years ago, the program advanced to the 4A semifinals, b u t t h e s c h o o l ’ s e n r o l l m e n t h a s decreased since then.

This year’s team didn’t have enough players to form a squad when the preseason started, Raiders coach Eric Harris said, but it finished with about 20. Raby, like all Chicago Public League programs, did not play during the shortened spring season. Harris told his players after the game that their appearance in the state playoffs “set the bar” for teams to come in a new chapter of Raiders Football.

“Our eight seniors helped pool some basketball players together, and players from the freshmen level together,” Harris said. “We created a team, and we created a state [playoff] team, not just a team to where we’re just playing. We finished 6-3 overall, and, yeah, we came out here and got demolished, but the level of expectations now for Al Raby is set. It was an exciting season to come out here and have a season. My boys came out here and fought.”

Fulton will play second seed Ottawa Marquette (9-1), on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media ABOVE: Fulton’s Ryan Eads runs for a gain during Saturday’s playoff game against Chicago Raby. BELOW:Fultton’s Baylen Damhoff heads to the end zone after catching a pass.

FOOTBALL 2A PLAYOFF

Erie-Prophetstow n Q B shines, defensive f ront delivers

BY TROY TAYLOR ttaylor@shawmedia.com

ERIE – Erie-Prophetstown won its first postseason game in eight seasons on Saturday afternoon, opening the Class 2A playoffs with a 56-20 rout of Clifton Central.

It was a showcase performance by E-P senior quarterback Kolby Franks, who ran for four touchdowns and passed for two more.

On defense, E-P was relentless at the line, winning battles that kept the pressure on Clifton Central passer Luke Shoven.

Now the team that started 0-2 and has won eight straight is undeterred by the prospect that its next opponent is a perennial contender: five-time state champ Kankakee Bishop McNamara advanced with a 42-14 victory over Knoxville.

“It just took the guys believing in themselves,” E-P coach Jesse Abbott said. “Took the guys trusting each other. And one thing turned into two, and two turned into three. And that momentum began to build. And there’s something to be said about momentum and confidence. And I think our guys have it.”

For Franks, who finished with 196 yards rushing on 23 attempts, it’s a mindset.

“We just come in thinking we’re the underdogs. We just play hard every down,” he said.

Franks had only one miscue, a fumble. But it’s his leadership the team thrives on, Abbott said.

“The guys feed off him,” Abbott said. “When he goes, they go. When he gets excited, they play with energy.”

The defense made its presence felt early. Shoven was sacked by Nick Ballard on a fourth-down play – the second straight Clifton Central series that resulted in a loss on downs.

Franks opened the Erie-Prophetstown scoring with touchdown runs of 35 and 11 yards, following his linemen to the left side.

Franks didn’t pass often – only six attempts in all – but he completed each one, including TD throws to Conner Sibley and Mason Misfeldt.

It was the 37-yarder to Misfeldt that put E-P up 21-0 at 3:49 of the second quarter. The play started first-and-10 from the 37-yard line. Misfeldt took the pass at about the 15, but the ball popped loose after he was hit.

“Their safety comes downhill and hits the ball perfectly with his facemask and he falls backward,” said Misfeldt. “So I look at the ball, and I’m like, ‘I’ve got to scoop that up and score.’”

Which he did, recovering the loose ball and sweeping right with five Clifton Central defenders hot on his heels. But they couldn’t run him down.

“It was crazy,” he said.

Clifton Central (6-4) responded, as Shoven found Tristan Schmidt, first on a 12-yard scoring pass with 44.2 seconds left in the first half.

Then to open the second half, Shoven connected with Schmidt again, this one from 2 yards out. It was Shoven to Schmidt on the two-point conversion, making it 21-14.

E-P answered on Franks’ 8-yard scoring pass to Sibley.

Shoven and Schmidt worked their magic one more time. From Clifton Central territory, Shoven lofted a pass deep downfield and Schmidt hauled it in on the run before carrying it in all the way, a 66-yarder that made it 28-20.

F r a n k s a n s w e r e d , m a n a g i n g a 10-play scoring drive in which he had six carries, including a touchdown from the 3.

From that point, E-P’s defenders established control of the line and their ability to pursue the quarterback. Ballard again got past blockers, bringing down running back Jayce Meier for a 5-yard loss.

Shoven had been picked off once already, by Braxton Froeliger in the first half. But he got picked off again, this time by Corey Barnes Jr., early in the fourth quarter.

That led to Sibley scoring on a 17-yard run and Franks rushing in from the 22.

Clifton Central tried to make the most of its final possession. Starting from its own 30, the Comets moved up the field, collecting four first downs and advancing to the 2. But Shoven threw his third interception, as Jase Grunder grabbed the ball and the 1 and raced down the right sidelines for a 99-yard touchdown return. Trevor Cobo added a two-point conversion.

Shoven finished 15-for-30 for 189 yards passing. He also led Clifton Central with 44 yards rushing.

E-P will need its defense to bring another such performance when they travel to Kankakee on Nov. 6 for a 2 p.m. game.

In addition to Ballard, a 6-foot-5 senior, the defensive front includes 5-9 senior Jacob Otten, 6-3 junior Clay Hockaday, and 6-4 senior Elijah Friedrichsen.

“We got some big kids and we play super aggressive with them,” Abbott said. “And they know they can dominate a line of scrimmage if they want to. They are so crucial defensively to our foundation. … Our guys know if our D-line comes to play we’re going to have a shot at every game.”

E-P’s last postseason win came in 2013, a 50-28 victory over Varna River Valley.

Troy Taylor/Shaw Media Erie-Prophetstown quarterback Kolby Franks (5) runs through a gap on Saturday against Clifton Central at Erie High School.

ABOVE: Erie-Prophetstown running back Connor Sibley (34) fights for extra yardage. He had 11 carries for 93 yards and scored on a 17-yard touchdown run on Saturday in the Class 2A playoff game at Erie High School. AT LEFT: Erie-Prophetstown’s Mason Misfeldt (15) congratulates Nick Ballard (75) after tackling Clifton Central running back Jayce Meier (33) for a 5-yard loss in the second half.

VOLLEYBALL REGIONAL

Steamers fall to Ea stland in t wo sets in semif inal match

BY TY REYNOLDS treynolds@shawmedia.com

Playing in front of the home fans in a regional semifinal didn’t cause much consternation for the Eastland volleyball team on Oct. 27.

The Cougars jumped out to early leads in both sets and played from ahead all match long, defeating Fulton 25-18, 25-17 in a Class 1A Eastland Regional semifinal match.

Eastland (26-10-1) led 8-3 in the first set after a Kaydence Coulthard kill, then led 8-2 in the second set after a Katlyn Spong block. The Steamers (1817) never led in either set.

“It was really nice to have those leads, because we had no worried and kept our energy up and really pushed each other,” Eastland’s Addison Burkholder said. “When we made a mistake, we just shook it off and knew there was another point coming and we had it.”

Energy was the buzzword for the Cougars coming into the match, and coach Kelsey Thurman was happy to see plenty of it throughout both sets.

“It definitely helps being at home; having a regional is a lot of fun,” she said. “Energy is something this team and struggled with in the past, and that’s been one of our goals is to bring that energy every single time, regardless of what happened the point before. I thought we did a really nice job of it.

“We are a momentum team, and getting that big lead from the get-go was a big help. We really feed off of that.”

Fulton fought back to 14-13 in the first set after a Brooklyn Brennan ace, but a kill and ace by Quinc Haverland and a block by Jenica Stoner pushed the lead back to 18-13. Blocks on backto-back blocks by Spong made it 21-15, then a Spong block, a back-row kill by Burkholder, and a kill on a free ball by Annika Myre closed out the first set.

In the second set, Fulton got kills from Kara Stoecker and Annaka Hackett to get within 8-4, but Bukholder and Myre answered with kills later, then c o ns e c u t i v e k i l l s b y B u r k h o ld e r, Spong, Myre and an ace by Stoner made it 17-9.

Fulton got late kills by Stoecker and Brennan, but a pair of errors on the last two points sent Eastland into Thursdays regional final against Newman.

“I think our girls started to play scared of the season being over, and it kind of overtook them; you could see it on their faces,” Fulton coach Stacy Germann said. “Serve receive just killed us; we got stuck where we couldn’t get our offense going off the serve receive, and that’s a key for us is to be able to get a good hit off serve receive, and that just didn’t happen tonight.”

Stoecker had six blocks and three kills, and Brennan added four kills, six assists, five digs and an ace for Fulton. Reese Dykstra finished with two kills, two aces and a block, and Teegan Germann chipped in nine digs.

Burkholder led Eastland with 10 kills and 22 digs, and Chloe Sweizter also had 22 digs. Spong stuffed three blocks, Coulthard served three aces, and Stoner dished 20 assists, mixing up the attack to keep the Steamers guessing.

“Jenica’s really good at spreading the net out, and we hit smart shots,” Burkholder said. “I think the energy and the environment around us really pushed us tonight.”

“The beauty of this group is they’re all just well-rounded volleyball players,” Thurman added. “There’s never a moment or time or rotation where I’m not confident in sending the ball to anybody at the net and them being able to put it away.”

Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@shawmedia.com Fulton’s Kara Stoecker (left) and Reese Dykstra go up to block a ball by Eastland’s Kaydence Coulthard in the regional semifinal on Oct. 27.

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