Lighting Strikes Twice to the Marengo Indians

A little help from Lady Luck is always a good sign. Seems as though lighting had struck the Marengo light standards during the summer and destroyed the electrical system. Marengo contacted Con-Ed but repairs could not be done in time for the game so late Thursday a decision was made to play the game at Kaneland. A pleasant surprise to a Knight fans. The only problem is - how may fans didn't get the word only to find a dark field at Marengo.

Anyway the rains cleared, the Marengo bus arrived and the game was played.

However the ride back could not be fun for the Marengo Indians as Kaneland handed them their second loss in a row - both of them by the Knights. Kaneland scored once in the first quarter, three times in the second, and twice more in the third. By the time the fourth quarter started the score board had a running clock (IHSA rule: Any team with a 40 or more point lead in the second half - the clock will run continuously, to be stopped only by time outs.)

The win was just one point better than last years opening game for the Knights when they beat Grant 41-0, but Marengo which has a rich football tradition came into Kaneland with a team that lost only one game last year in thirteen tries. And that was Kaneland!

It this was to be a test for this year's Knights they got a "A".

It didn't take long for the Knights to start making a statement about this years team as on the first series of downs linebacker Kurt Long stepped in front of a wayward Indian pass for a pick and ran 43 yards for Kaneland's first TD of the season.

It took just 74 seconds for the Knights to score and as they say, "from there the rest is history."

On the Knights first offensive position after an incomplete pass Kyle Schrader broke loose for a 69 yard touchdown only to called back by a clipping penalty. In the second quarter Schrader broke loose again, this time for a 74 yard touchdown, but it too was called back for clipping.

Poor Scoobie. But he didn't quite, for in the third quarter he did again, this time for 62 yards and this time it counted. After all that running he ended the night with only 80 yards and only one TD, instead of 223 yards and three TD's.

Other scores where by Bill McKeown who's only catch was for a 43 yard TD in the second quarter, and P.J. Fleck who caught a 55 yard second quarter TD.

Fleck added another TD in the third on a 12 yard pass from Eric Delaney (9-12 and 180 in the air). Long closed out the scoring for the Knights with a 2 yard run at the end of the third quarter. Long also scored on a two point conversion in the second after Josh Dimitri missed one of his six extra point attempts.

The Knights had a total of 146 yards on the ground and 180 in the air for 326 total yards. The Indians were held to 120 yards in the air and only 51 over land for 171 yards, half of the Knights total.

Prior to the fourth quarter the Knights had the ball 8 times and scored on five of them. The Indians on the other hand had the ball 10 times prior to last quarter and only came close to the goal line once. That was at the end of the first half where time ran out with the ball at the Kaneland 10 yard line thanks to a Shaun Wenz stop followed by a Jason Harley sack.

Although the Knights defense appeared a little shaky in the first half, in the second half they had the following results: (-4), 7, 6, 1, 3-Incomplete passes, punt, 5, 1, 4, (-3), (-5), (-5), punt, (-1), 1, (-3), punt, 6, 1, 0. Marengo gained just 11 yards in the whole second half.

As expected the Knights showed their offensive weapons as expected, but what may be the bigger surprise is that defense was almost as impressive. Many times the line of Shawn Fuller, Ron Easto, Jason Harley, and Mike Sondelski found themselves in the back field as the running backs got the ball. They also accounted for five second half sacks. Not bad for the first time out.

The Knights came up on the short end in the Sophomore game 6-0, as Marengo scored a touchdown with only 25 seconds left in the first half. The conversion failed.

Both teams had troubles moving the ball with the Indians score coming as a result of a blocked Kaneland punt at the Knights 23 yard line.

Matt Shiff had an impress 45 yard in the fourth quarter to try and get the Knights into striking range, but 6 Kaneland fumbles stopped drives all night.

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