MM_100616

54 | October 6, 2016 | The Mokena Messenger Sports
mokenamessenger.com
Boilermakers drop Knights to .500 in SWSC play
Jason Maholy
Freelance Reporter
Lincoln-Way Central is
typically the team that punishes
opposing defenses with
a relentless ground game, using
a fleet of ball carriers to
grind out yards and move the
chains.
The Knights received a
taste of their own medicine
Friday, Sept. 30 against undefeated
Bradley-Bourbonnais,
as the Boilermakers spoiled
Central’s homecoming by
churning out 325 rushing
yards en route to a 27-17 victory
in New Lenox.
Bradley quarterback Morion
Burtis Jr. carried the ball
23 times for 127 yards and
a TD, and fullback Matthew
Rafe burned the Knights for
125 yards on 12 totes.
The Boilermakers improved
to 6-0 (4-0 in the
SouthWest Suburban Conference)
with the win, while
Central fell to 4-2 (2-2).
The visitors moved the
ball almost at will in the first
quarter, scoring twice in the
opening 12 minutes to take a
14-0 lead.
The Boilers went 70 yards
in 13 plays on their first possession
of the game, and
Burtis (5-for-6, 69 yards
passing) hit Austin Piwoni
with a 24-yard touchdown to
give Bradley a 7-0 lead with
5:05 remaining in the opening
stanza. After forcing the
Knights to punt on the ensuing
possession, Bradley put
together a 93-yard drive that
culminated with a 20-yard
touchdown run by Rafe.
Central head coach Jeremy
Cordell refused to cite
the Boilers’ size up-front
as a reason the Knights had
trouble stopping the Boilers
early on.
“Hats of to Bradley, they’re
a good football team, there’s
a reason they’re 6-0; but,
quite frankly, we don’t look
at things like that,” Cordell
said. “We don’t look at the
size of the offensive line and
say we can or can’t do something.
We scheme for what
we see and put our kids [in]
the best position, whatever
that is, and we’ll continue to
do that.”
The Knights put together a
long drive of their own on the
first possession of the second
quarter. Central signal-caller
Hunter Campbell (13-for-23,
134 yards) closed the gap to
14-7 with a one-yard plunge.
Junior linebacker Liam
Markham recovered a fumble
on the first play of Bradley’s
Lincoln-Way Central running back Mike Morgan breaks free
of the Bradley-Bourbonnais defense Sept. 30 on his way to
a 46-yard touchdown run. Jason Maholy/22nd Century Media
ensuing possession, but the
Knights returned the favor
with a fumble of their own
a few plays later. Cordell acknowledged
his team has to
capitalize on such situations,
especially against a team of
Bradley’s quality.
“You’ve got to be able to
capitalize on opportunities
and you have to be locked on
and execute,” he said.
Then, down 17-7, the
Knights got the ball back
with 1:10 remaining in the
first half and executed a twominute
drill during which
Campbell completed five
passes for 53 yards.
Central missed an opportunity
to score a touchdown,
but Dimitri Sereleas booted
a 29-yard field goal to make
the score 17-10.
After a scoreless third
quarter followed by a Burtis
put the Boilers up 24-10
when he punched it in from
a yard out with 11:54 to go
in the game, but the Knights
again answered in the face
of adversity. On the ensuing
possession, Campbell and
his favorite target, Matt Pollack,
sparked the hosts with a
25-yard hookup that brought
Central near midfield.
Four plays later, facing
fourth-and-1 at Bradley’s
46-yard line, Morgan took a
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