Are they birds of a feather?
Well, not exactly. Plano’s Jim Green coaches the Reapers and Sandwich’s Dusty Behringer the Indians, but last Friday the neighboring coaches whose teams run the same Wing-T offense did face the same decision in overtime in their respective Interstate Eight Conference games. And both made the same decision.
Both games went to overtime. Both Plano and Sandwich gave up a touchdown and extra point kick to their respective foes on the first possession of OT. Both answered with TD runs.
Then, both Green and Behringer decided to roll the dice and go for a two-point conversion and the win rather than try to kick a PAT and move to double OT.
And both came up winners, Green and Plano winning 21-20 at Peotone, Behringer and Sandwich 43-42 at home against Manteno.
“We said we’re on the road, we’re gonna go for two,” Green told WSPY’s Jim Teckenbrock on his Saturday Morning Sports Show.
Junior RB Eloy Carrera swept the right side and scored to give the Reapers the win..
“It’s the same play we ran (unsuccessfully) the week before (late in a 16-12 loss at home to Sandwich),” continued Green. “It’s amazing what happens when you have 11 players on the field.”
With just 10 men on the field against Sandwich the run was stopped. A week later, it worked.
After leading 28-14 at the half, Behringer had seen the visitors come back to tie his team with 21 third-quarter points.
“I was thinking as the second half carried on, with some of Manteno’s offensive halftime adjustments, we were having problems stopping them,” he said. “And they were not have too much success stopping us. I was feeling that the team that had the ball last was going to win and I wanted the ball last.
“And earlier in the game, we mishandled a point after touchdown and we had a field goal blocked, too.”
Austin Breunig swept the right side for the two-point conversion and the win.
Adding up
Senior fullback Seth McDonald, who topped the century mark for the first time this season with 123 yards rushing against Plano, carried 21 times for 211 yards vs. Manteno.
“The last two weeks, he’s become the fullback we envisioned,” said Behringer. “It’s been a very long time since we had a running back go over 200 yards rushing.”
Ryan Harrison, who scored the TD in overtime for the Indians, also topped the century mark, running six times for 107 yards.
Look, up in the air!
Behringer, who often says, “We like to pass when we want to, not when we have to,” unleashed Dakoda Padilla against Manteno. Well, sort of.
Sandwich’s senior quarterback threw three passes, completing two for 57 yards, including a 55-yard scoring pass to Colin Wagner. That third one, though, was intercepted.
Speaking of throwing
Yorkville coach Karl Hoinkes surprised LaSalle-Peru coaches with his team’s throwing game in a 35-6 win that featured three first-half touchdown passes from QB Jake Anton.
Cavaliers’ coach Joe Sassano told the LaSalle News Tribune his team was caught off guard because the Foxes hadn’t done much throwing this season.
Running back Anton Jones did carry 26 times for 155 yards as the Foxes ran for 194 yards and passed for 135.
And after Yorkville gave up a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that cut its lead to 7-6, the Foxes’ Tyrius Porter answered on the ensuing kickoff with a 72-yard return for a TD to give his team the momentum.
Injury update
Aurora Christian coach Don Beebe said the playing status of his son Chad (wrist injury) will be a “gametime decision,” for this week’s home contest against Suburban Christian Blue rival St. Francis.
Chad Beebe had 16 catches for 207 yards in Friday’s 55-7 win over Wheaton Academy and leads the area with 39 receptions for 597 yards and 10 TDs.
Numbers game
Aurora Central’s 59-19 win over Chicago Christian on Friday was the most points scored by the Chargers since they posted a 62-21 win over St. Joseph, Mich., Lutheran the fourth game of the 2009 season. ACC topped 50 two other times in the past decade, both against St. Edward (52-36 in 2007 and 55-21 in 2003).
