A Perfect Start as Kaneland beats Grant 41-0


When the Grant Bulldogs, invaded Peterson field last Friday night for the 1997 season opener, the Kaneland Knights were more than ready to do battle and protected their home field by displaying more offensive weapons than the U.S. 82nd Airborne.

There were missiles flyin' from quarterbacks Eric Delaney and Aaron Seibens. There were rocket launchings by running backs Ryan West, Kyle Schrader, Kurt Long, and Ian Thomas. There were aerial displays by receivers P.J. Fleck, Shaun Wenz and Josh Miller. And there were landmine explosions by lineman, Brian Herra, Adam Wallace, B.J. Mires, Keith Snyder, and Sophomore Brian Staker.

When the battle ended and the smoke cleared Kaneland had laid claim an impressive 41 to 0 victory.

It all started with a winning combination of running west with West. Senior Ryan West, on Kaneland's first possession of the season, crossed the end zone from 3 yards out to grab a quick 7-0 lead. Then, just 3 1/2 minutes later, still heading west, West added his second TD of the quarter. This time from 12 yards out and Kaneland was off and running with 13-0 first quarter lead.

In the second quarter, going the other direction, Schrader ran off right tackle for 4 yards and the Knights had their third TD. He did the same thing for the 2-point conversion giving Kaneland 21 points. A beautiful 14-yard over-the-shoulder fade by Fleck from Delaney put Kaneland up 24-0 at half time.

The Knights started the second half were they left off, as Sophomore Billy McKeown scampered 25 yards for yet another Kaneland touchdown. Then with 2:39 left in third quarter something very strange happened - Kaneland punted!

But next time they got the ball, early in the fourth quarter, Long made a short run for Kaneland's final TD, ensuring a score in every quarter.

"I was real happy with our offensive line, and I was very happy with our running backs," analyzed Head Coach Joe Thorgesen.

The Bulldogs had little to reflect on for the long ride back to Fox Lake. They had given up 21 Kaneland first downs. On the ground the Knights out rushed them with 314 yards to 37. In the air Kaneland had 126 yards on 8 completions to their 24 yards on 2 catches.

How good was Kaneland's attack? Well, to put it in perspective, suppose you're driving through Elburn and you had to stop for a train. If every yard Grant gained required a flatcar to carry it, you would only have to wait one minute before you were moving again.

However, under the same scenario, if the Kaneland train was going through town, you may as well turn off your engine, because it would wait an agonizing 7 1/2 minutes for it to end!

Individual statistics where equally impressive. West ran for 94 yards in 11 tries, Long was 86 for 10, Schrader was 72 for 9, and Thomas averaged 9 yards in 2 carries. Fleck caught 8 passes for 86 yards and Wenz with a run and a reception, averaged 25 yards every time he touched the ball. Delaney passed for 92 yards and Seibens who played the second half, added 27.

Kaneland's "D" is back again this year as the Bulldogs never even got to the Kaneland red zone and were only able to cross midfield twice. Of their 11 possessions Grant was only able to muster three first downs and gained more than 7 yards just three times.

If the offense looked scary the defense looked awesome. This despite the fact that All-conference Rusty Pozen was not playing and that the "D" never needed to get out of second gear. Pozen should see action this week.

In addition to the impressive win, no one was injured. The only bad news for Kaneland was their four second half fumbles. Add the one first half miscue and the Knights are right on schedule to match last year's fumble pledged season when they dropped the ball 44 times.

This Friday night Kaneland travels to Sycamore who is coming off an equally impressive will over DeKalb. With only two wins in each of their two previous seasons, Sycamore is looking to this year's juniors, who were undefeated last year as sophomores, to help turn things around.

The Spartans run a double tight end offense. They have a solid running attack, thanks largely to a strong offensive line. This is a power offense that will be a true test of Kaneland's defensive armor.


Reprinted with permission of the Elburn Herald

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