What is perfection? A bowler accomplishes perfection when he rolls a 300. A pitcher is perfect when no one reaches base. And in football it is scoring a touchdown every time you have the ball while never letting your opponent gain a first down.
That is exactly what the Kaneland Knights did in the first half last Saturday, on their way to a 45-0 win against long time rival Yorkville. Even the weather was perfect as the Knights executed with the precision of a first class drill team. By intermission Kaneland had an insurmountable 42-0 lead and hadn’t turned the ball over once.
Before the game everything was set for another Highway 47 battle. It was Yorkville’s Homecoming, it was the Suburban Prairie Division Blue opener, and it was a critical game in Yorkville’s quest to make the playoffs.
But the Knights offense was like a box of chocolates. Poor Yorkville never knew what they were going to get as the Knights scored 6 first half touchdowns by 5 different players.
It took Kaneland just 2 ½ minutes for their first score, as Kyle Schrader slashed his way to pay dirt from 15 yards out.
5 minutes later, from Yorkville’s one yard line, quarterback Eric Delaney did his extremely successful QB sneak routine, right behind the blocking of center Adam Wallace for Kaneland’s second touchdown.
Two minutes later ultra-back Ryan West rolls right, on what appeared to be a run, but stopped, reared back, and fired a perfect spiral to a wide open P.J. Fleck for a nifty 54 yard touchdown ending the first quarter leading 21-0.
The next score came 3 ½ minutes into the second quarter when Delaney did his QB sneak thing again, this time behind junior guard Keith Snyder, and Kaneland had it’s fourth touchdown of the afternoon.
One minute later, West ran in from 5 yards out for yet another Kaneland TD. Then, with 2:39 left in the half Ian Thomas got his chance and scored from the 1 foot line for the Knights final touchdown. Matt Gladd has perfect too, as he kicked all 6 extra points, and Kaneland took a 42-zip lead into the locker room.
The Foxes must have felt like they were dog paddling up Niagara Falls, as they gained only 27 yards in the entire half. The Knights meanwhile zigged and zagged their way for 284 yards.
Yorkville’s powerful running game was stopped cold by the Knights front 7. The Foxes line was unable to move Kaneland’s front line of Chad Herst, Anthony Parrilli, Brian Herra, and Casey Barrett. Then the Knights linebacker trio of West, Schrader and Rusty Pozen, would come up and clean up any loose ends left undone by the line.
Almost every Yorkville offensive play ended with 7 white shirts piled on top of the ball carrier at the line of scrimmage.
Kaneland "D" held the Foxes to zero first downs in the half while Kaneland’s offense moved the chains 14 times. Another amazing statistic was the Knights ran more offensive plays, (43) in first half than the Foxes had yards, (27).
Offensive guard Keith Snyder observed, "Actually, I thought Yorkville was harder to block against than Morris."
Thanks to a new IHSA rule, the second half was played with a running clock, as Kaneland had a 40 point lead. Matt Gladd came in to kick a 37 yard field goal in the third period for the only score of the quick half.
Yorkville never crossed mid-field until the final drive when Kaneland's starting defensive team was off the field.
West ended the day with 22 carriers for 102 yards, plus a 54 yard TD pass. Schrader ran the ball 8 times averaging 9 yards a carry and Fleck added 85 more yards through the air.
"I think we played our best game," stated coach, Joe Thorgesen. "We stressed to the kids that we wanted Morris game to be the way we play all the time. We didn’t want Morris to be a one-time shot."
Result: The Knights are now 5-0, have outscored their opponents 178-21, and the defense has allowed only one touchdown in 5 games!
The Knights are now ranked 7th in class 4A according to AP poll of writers.
Return to the beginning of Football