Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009

Comanches are no match for SHG; Springfield beats Cahokia 20-6

Cahokia is handed its first loss of season

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin staked its claim as the top team in Class 5A with a plodding, methodical 20-6 victory over No. 2 Cahokia on Friday in Springfield.

The loss ruined Cahokia's bid for an undefeated regular season. The Comanches finished 8-1 overall.

"They made more plays than we did," Cahokia coach Antwyne Golliday said. "We moved the ball, and they moved the ball. They just made more plays. Take three plays away, and boom, it's 0-0 again. We gave them everything we had, and hopefully we'll meet again in a couple weeks."

The game was a stalemate through most of the first half, with both teams trading turnovers and punts. Sacred Heart-Griffin (9-0) finally broke though with 58 seconds left in the second quarter, when Eric Williamson found Jarrod Sergent in the front right corner of the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown.

The throw was impressive, considering Williamson was going into the teeth of the wind. The catch was just as nice.

"We sent me to the weak side and told me to run a 'go' and Eric made a great throw and I caught it," Sergent said.

That score seemed to be the boost the Cyclones needed. They came out in the second half and reeled off scoring drives of 55 and 80 yards.

The second TD was set up by a 32-yard catch and run from Zach Rockford. Williamson and Greg Wilson, who finished with 136 rushing yards, set up the third touchdown with big runs.

Williamson and Sergent hooked up again for the final score, a 16-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal. Williamson finished with 138 yards passing, 75 of which went to Sergent.

"Anytime you can run and pass in this weather, we know we're a championship-caliber team. I think we proved it tonight," Williamson said.

Cahokia (8-1) managed only 38 yards of total offense in the second half before scoring on a fluke play on its final possession.

Comanches quarterback Patrick Ivy ran for 66 yards but only passed for 48. He was knocked out of the game twice on big hits. And running back Joe Grinston, who picked up 68 yards in the first half, finished with just 85.

"We didn't really change much," Cyclones linebacker Josh Hupp said of the second half. "We started blitzing a little bit more, trying to fill it, and we had faith in our secondary to keep the pass down. We just wanted to stop the run, and we did it. Our line did a great job of getting a push, and our backers were filling."

According to SHG coach Ken Leonard, it was a simple matter of remembering the fundamentals.

"One of the big things is we actually started tackling and wrapping up," he said. "All year long, some of our kids hit people and they fall down, and in this game, they didn't do that. Darryl (McMath) and those guys wrapped up and did a heck of a job."

Now all that's left for SHG to do is wait and see what the first step will be in the quest for a fourth state title in the last five years. Playoff pairings will be announced tonight.

In the meantime, the Cyclones can savor their latest accomplishment.

"It's a perfect regular season," Sergent said. "It means everything to us."