William Perry reached folklore status after scoring a 1-yard touchdown during the Chicago Bears’ 46-10 win over New England in Super Bowl XX.
Fast forward 26 years and enter Plainfield Central’s Bryce Douglas.
The 6-foot-2, 320-pound senior defensive lineman was in the backfield on a second-and-one at the Plainfield East 1-yard line late in the first quarter.
The University of Illinois recruit took the handoff and plowed over the right side of the line, almost exactly the same as Perry did, helping propel Plainfield Central to a 28-0 road win Friday over Plainfield East.
“It was pretty cool,” Douglas said of the play. “I was just thinking not to fumble the ball and to get six points. It felt really good. I wasn’t going to let my teammates down.”
The win assures Plainfield Central (6-2, 4-2 in the SPC) a spot in the state playoffs. Plainfield East fell to 2-6, 2-4.
“We missed it last year and we didn’t want to go into the playoffs with five wins,” Plainfield Central coach John Jackson said. “It’s a good feeling to be in the playoffs.”
Jordan Ellingwood rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Wildcats to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
“It feels great,” Douglas said. “We were in the same position last year and didn’t make it. None of us have been there before, so this is a great accomplishment.”
Three of Plainfield Central’s touchdowns came off Plainfield East turnovers.
Plainfield East tried a fourth-down play on its first drive. However, the Wildcat defense held on fourth-and-one at their 30.
It paved the way for a 9-yard touchdown run by Ellingwood, which gave Plainfield Central a 7-0 lead with 3:37 left in the first quarter.
Plainfield East turned it over, again, on the first play of the next drive. Aikins Akwasi recovered at the Bengals’ 23.
It set the stage for Douglas’ fullback dive and second touchdown of the season, sparking memories of Perry’s 1-yard fullback dive.
“We figured, what the heck,” Jackson said. “He’s a great athlete. We put him back there and he’s somebody we can utilize when we need a yard or two.”
After stopping Plainfield East on another fourth-down try in the first drive of the second half, Ellingwood scored from 45 yards out to bump the lead to 21-0. Quarterback Mike Smiles added a 1-yard touchdown run later in the quarter.
