Beadle comes up big, puts exclamation point on Highland’s conference football title
Senior wideout Dylan Beadle is one of the smallest players on the field for the Highland football team at 5-7, and 160 pounds, but his big-play ability has made him the Bulldogs’ most dangerous weapon in the last two years.
Highland unleashed Beadle on visiting Mississippi Valley Jerseyville on Friday night. Beadle exploded for two touchdowns and over 110 return yards as the Bulldogs rode a 47-point first-half eruption to a 47-7 running clock mercy rule Senior Night win over the Panthers and in the process clinched the MVC Championship for the second straight season.
It also was Highland’s third championship since 2018.
Beadle was happy to celebrate the conference championship with his teammates and relished proving the doubters wrong this fall.
“I love proving people wrong,” Beadle said. “It’s amazing.”They all doubted us and we proved them wrong. We’ve been putting in the hard work since summer and since January practices and the coach pushes us hard and we’re not very big but we’re a well-conditioned team.”
The fireworks started early in this one as Beadle took the opening kickoff from Jerseyville, zig-zagged past a couple of Panthers defenders, and raced up the middle of the field 75 yards for a touchdown to make it 7-0 just 13 seconds into the game.
“We had a little squib kick, I got the ball and I followed my cousin (Hunter Frey) in for the touchdown,” Beadle said. “He’s out there blocking for me and he’s family so (it worked out). It felt pretty good to get that.”
Jerseyville (3-5, 2-3) answered on the ensuing kickoff as Landon Jones returned the Bulldogs kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown to tie it at 7-7 for back-to-back scores in just the first one minute, 27 seconds of action.
Highland went back to work on the next series as quarterback Blake Gelly connected with Frey on a 30-yard over-the-top pass for a score to make it 14-7 with 8:55 left in the second quarter.
Just over two minutes later, after another Bulldog defensive stop, Highland scored again on a four-play, 39-yard drive capped by a six-yard TD toss from Gelly to Wyatt Rinderer.
Beadle then put the exclamation point on the first quarter with a scintillating 82-yard touchdown run that gave the Bulldogs a 28-7 lead late in the first quarter. Beadle praised his offensive line and receivers for freeing him up to make big plays.
“I caught the ball and I see my blockers out in front of me and they’re doing the job for me and I’m just catching the ball and running for the touchdown and they’re doing the work,” Beadle said.
“Just explosive, just explosive,” Highland coach Jimmy Warnecke said. “He competes so hard and he gets the ball in his hands and just goes. He’s quick, agile, strong and he’s really exciting to watch and he’s become a helluva football player.”
Highland continued its offensive onslaught in the second quarter as Gelly hit Blake Reinacher for a 7-yard scoring pass and then Frey rambled in from 8 yards out to make it 40-7 with 7:06 left in the first half.
The Bulldogs ended the scoring avalanche with 2:39 left in the half on a 12-yard Tyson Rakers run to the house for a TD and a 47-7 halftime lead.
That kicked off the running mercy clock in the third quarter, as Warnecke pulled his starters and gave his reserves some quality game time and his starters a well-deserved break.
Warnecke was glad to see his team clinch the MVC in back-to-back seasons and do it in a season where few thought it could be done.
“I think it’s a testament to our coaching staff, a testament to our players how they developed and how they continue to work hard in the weight room and they don’t become complacent,” Warnecke said. “I think we’ve done a really good job as a team, realizing we gotta work for it just like anybody else every year and that nobody’s gonna give us anything, and I’m very proud of this group and for them to come back and sweep the conference going 5-0 is really awesome.”
Highland closes out the regular season next Friday with a 7 p.m. road game at Decatur St. Theresa.