There were a lot of questions about this years team as to whether they could continue the winning tradition Kaneland has developed over the last couple of seasons. But the new Knights answered that issue quickly Friday night by totally dominating the Marengo Indians in the first game of the season 40-0.
It was the
second whitewash of the Indians in a row by the Knights. Last season the
Knights won 42-0 at home. But Marengo entered this game without their starting
quarterback who had broken his hand the night before.
But that didn't matter to the Kaneland defensive front line as they penetrated the Indian backfield at will, not giving sophomore Indian quarterback Brian Habbley even time to set-up before he was hit. Kaneland sacked Habbley five times with each defensive lineman and outside linebacker getting a crack at him. I was an awesome display as most of the time there were more white jerseys in the Indian backfield as maroon.
So who are these guys?
Well, up front the Knights consist of Bryan Staker, Ron Easto, Mike Sondelski, and Shawn Fuller. Behind them newcomer Justin Wolbers turned more than a few heads as he and Robert McGinnis worked the outside. Meanwhile Colin Nolan held court in the middle.
The Indians gained only 3 yards rushing and where held to just 4 pass completions for the night. They were limited to 70 total yards and crossed midfield just once. One would be hard pressed to find a better Kaneland defensive game. A few missed tackles outside and some missed interception opportunities was all defensive coach Rich Kearney could really get upset about.
On offense the Knights where not only good but were consistent and diverse as the first team scored 2 touchdowns in every quarter they played. Of these six touchdowns 5 different people scored on 6 different plays.
- QB Dave Issel on a QB keeper for 8 yards
- FB Colin Nolan with a 15 run up the middle
- RB Ben Rogers on a screen pass for 20 yards
- WO Robbie Bieritz with a deep 49 catch off a Billy McKeown tip
- WO Robbie Bieritz on a catch and run for 16 yards
- WO Shawn Fuller with a counter play for 15 yards
Kaneland gained 95 yards in the air as Issel was 5-13 and no INT's. But he could have been 9-of-13 as Knight receivers drop balls that were dead center. The Knights also had 206 yards rushing - with Rogers collecting 85 of them in just 8 attempts. Nolan added 42 more yards and Mike Merfeld 25.
"I though Dave Issel played a real solid game at quarterback," said coach Joe Thorgesen. "It was more dropped passes than anything (that kept his number down). We know we've got to work and get better on offense, but I'm very pleased with our point production."
There was however, one glitch in the Knights attack. It was the kicking game which many think is going to be a big plus for the Knights. But in game one, few kickoffs made it inside the 20 and Josh Dimitri who was a perfect 6-for-6 in last year's game dropped to 4-for-6 in this one.
| Kaneland | 14 | 13 | 13 | 00 | 40 |
| Marengo | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 |
So, the Knights are back at it - with an almost totally new backfield and receiving core. They totaled 301 yards, more than triple their opponents. And show they may challenge the reputation of last year's offensive juggernaut.
But the real story lies underneath the stats. The real story is the Kaneland offensive line, which showed they are as good as the defensive line and gave Issel and his playmates plenty of time to perform their artistry.
This is just the beginning of the season but the real heroes of this team may be the guys in the pits. The guys you don't read much about. The guys don't even notice. But the guys up front on this team are good and they will be the ones who can make or break this offense - at least the first half of the season. They are:
- Bryan Staker
- Will Schmidt
- Matt Nelson
- Rudy Milo
- Ron Easto
Thorgesen added, "There has been a lot said about last year's team, but I really think these kids wanted to get started right on there own. They're very excited about about this year's team."
And now it's on to Sycamore who lost to Dekalb. Will this be win number #30?
