Carlinville High School Football: Enquirer Articles

By Tim Tarter

Macoupin County Enquirer~Democrat

Just three years removed from winning a Class 2A state title, the Maroa-Forsyth Trojans are a team on a mission. The preseason number one ranked team in Class 2A stumbled twice this year with losses to Decatur St. Teresa and Tuscola, both teams that have been highly ranked in Class 3A and 1A, respectively. However, the Trojans were impressive in their playoff debut as they defeated Carlinville 31-7 Oct. 30 at Walter Boyd Field in Maroa.

The Cavaliers knew they had a tough draw, but felt they had the opportunity to get a victory if they could get a few bounces and by trying to create their own breaks. That scenario never materialized. Maroa-Forsyth mixed the pass and the run equally well and were able to navigate a muddy turf well enough to amass 401 yards of total offense in the opening round Class 2A playoff game.

“Preparing for them, I thought their skill kids were good,” Carlinville coach Chad Easterday said. “I was very, very impressed with their defensive and offensive line. I thought they played very well – better than how they had done previously in the films that we had watched. A lot of credit goes to Maroa-Forsyth. I’m sure they’re going to go deep in the playoffs."

The Trojan’s defense held the usually potent Carlinville offensive attack to just 130 total yards in the game and five first downs. The Cavaliers were forced to punt seven times in the game.

“Field conditions hurt us a little bit,” said Easterday. “But in terms of just getting it done, they got it done and we didn’t when it mattered.”

More than three inches of rain drenched Central Illinois Thursday and Friday leaving the field at Maroa a murky mess. While the rain quit early in the afternoon, the water and mud left behind made footing treacherous to say the least.

Carlinville fans were optimistic early in the game after Nick Williams made the game’s first big play on defense coming up with a diving interception at the CHS 34. Maroa-Forsyth, which received the opening kickoff after the Cavaliers deferred to the second half, drove the ball into Carlinville territory before William’s dove in front of the intended receiver and picked off the pass from Trojan quarterback Logan Stelzriede.

The Cavaliers were unable to take advantage of the turnover as M-F shut down CHS on a 3-and-out as three straight running plays by Josh Rives generated two yards.

Following a short 15-yard punt by Zac Dixon, the Trojans put together a 5-play, 51-yard drive that ended when fullback Dalton Coventry scored on an 8-yard run up the middle. The conversion kick was wide left, but the Trojans had struck first, taking a 6-0 lead with 6:38 left in the first quarter.

The two teams traded punts before CHS put together their best drive of the first half. The Cavaliers got the ball on their 47 after a 37-yard punt by Justin Barnes and a 5-yard return by Josh Carnduff.  Carlinville moved the ball into Trojan territory as Rives picked up 9 yards and Bobby Simmons ran up the gut for two yards to pick up the Cavie’s first first down of the game at the 42.

Carlinville twice was able to convert on fourth down, albeit the first one was via the penalty when M-F was called for offsides at the 32.  Facing a fourth-and-two, Dixon rolled to his right on the first play of the second quarter and picked up four yards for a first down at he 15. Rives gained six yards to the 10, but Simmons was wrapped up for no gain as CHS faced a fourth-and-five. Dixon dropped back to pass, but could not connect as the pass play was broken up in the end zone and Carlinville turned the ball over on downs.

“We got down there and we were debating whether or not to kick a field goal,” Easterday said. “The wind was coming at us in our face and we would have been on the corner of the crown with poor field conditions. We determined that wasn’t the end of field where we wanted to try to kick a field goal, so we decided to go for it and their kid did a good job breaking up the pass play.”

The Trojans used the momentum to seize control of the game. Maroa-Forsyth, mixing the pass and the run moved the ball 90 yards in 11 plays. Stelzriede completed the drive by lofting a pass to Justin Barnes, who was able to make the catch while staying inbounds in the left corner of the end zone. Coventry then ran in the two point conversion to give the hosts a 14-0 lead with 5:20 left in the first half.

Maroa-Forsyth added a 26-yard field goal by Alex Chiligiris with 4.7 seconds left in the half to take a 17-0 lead to the locker room.

The Cavaliers still had hopes of making a second half comeback. Rives, who was doing his best to get his team fired up on the sidelines to start the second half, did it on the field as he returned the second half kickoff 46 yards to give CHS excellent field position on their 47. Rives carried it 5 yards to the 45 and a personal foul penalty on Maroa-Forsyth moved it 15 more yards to the 30. Rives got loose for 20 yards and a first down at the 10. Rives then appropriately finished the drive with a 10-yard jaunt for the score that cut the lead to 17-7 following the conversion kick by Shawn Crouch with 10:18 left in the third quarter.

The Trojans were unfazed by the Carlinville score. Maroa-Forsyth answered with a monster drive that covered 63 yards in 13 plays while taking over five and a half minutes off the clock. Stelzriede scored on a 12-yard run to cap the drive and Chiligiris added the conversion kick to give MFHS a 24-7 lead with 4:33 left in the third quarter.

“We put together that one good drive coming out to start the second half to cut the lead to 17-7 and thought maybe we’d get back in it,” Easterday said. “The sign of a good team is that they came right back and answered and we didn’t have an answer for that.”

With momentum firmly in control, Maroa-Forsyth used their defense to force a CHS turnover with 23 seconds left in the quarter. Facing a third-and-12 from inside the 10, the Cavaliers gave the ball to Rives, who was stripped of the ball. Coventry, who was tough on both sides of the ball, recovered the football for the Trojans on the Carlinville 5-yard line. Following a procedure penalty, Coventry got the carry and rumbled 10 yards for the touchdown. Chiligiris added the conversion kick and the Trojans took a commanding 31-7 lead with 17.9 seconds left in the third period.

Coventry carried the ball 19 times for 123 yards with two TDs for Maroa-Forsyth, while Stelzriede completed 16-27 passes with one interception for 182 yards and a TD. Wyatt Washburn, one of the top receivers in the Decatur area, had 10 catches for 146 yards. The Trojans, now 8-2, will move on the second round where they will face Bismarck-Henning next weekend. Bismarck knocked off Staunton 21-20 in overtime Saturday, Oct. 31.

For the Cavaliers, Rives finished with 68 yards on 21 carries. He finished his senior season with 1,324 yards and 16 touchdowns. Rives rushed for 2,287 yards in his varsity career at Carlinville.

Dixon led the CHS defense with 16 tackles including 5 solos. Eddie Ray had 11 tackles and led the team with 110 tackles this season.

The Cavaliers finished the 2009 season 6-4, something that Coach Easterday says they can be proud of. After a 1-2 start, they won five out of their last six games to finish in a tie for second place in the South Central Conference at 6-3 while qualifying for the playoffs for the 24th time in school history and the ninth time in the last 10 years.

“We were 4-6 and made the playoffs and were very happy to be there last year – it was not our goal to be 4-6 and end the season with playoff loss this year,” Easterday said. “Our goal was to defend the conference title and I thought finishing second this season was a big feat for us in the new 10-team one division SCC.”

“We turned around what I think was an average season last year to one where we were very competitive week in and week out. 6-4 is nothing to be ashamed of,” he added. “We started the season with five kids standing for disciplinary reasons and we bounced back from that. We bounced back from a 1-2 start and we battled some sort of injury it seems like every week late in the year. It shows our great senior leadership with 12 seniors out there. They can hold their heads high.”

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The Carlinville Football Club will hold their annual banquet Thursday, November 19 at the Carlinville Elks Lodge.

By Tim Tarter

Macoupin County Enquirer~Democrat

The Carlinville High School football team knew going into Friday night’s game at Lloyd Hill Field in Litchfield that they had a very good shot at making the IHSA state football playoffs. However, a loss in their final game would leave them with no guarantee of a playoff spot, even with 40 playoff points. A victory, on the other hand, guaranteed the Cavies would get their invitation on Saturday night to the big dance.

After building a 19-0 first half lead, Carlinville saw Litchfield rally with two third-quarter scores to take a 20-19 lead. The hosts, which needed a victory to become playoff eligible, had seized momentum and appeared on the verge of scoring a huge come-from-behind win on senior night. But the Cavaliers responded with resiliency. When it would have been easy to fold, they didn’t. Instead, CHS responded with three touchdowns in the final quarter to take a 39-20 victory clinching their third consecutive playoff spot and the 24th overall.

“We showed a lot of character and determination and a don’t quit attitude, which is what we have been preaching all season,” Carlinville coach Chad Easterday said. “I was very proud of our team. They never quit and never gave up on the scheme. We finally got our offense rolling again. Good things happen when that occurs.”

“The difference was the offensive line,” he said. “They just really stayed the course and finished the game.” Andy Reich at left tackle, Quantrel Williams at left guard, Andy Denby at center, Brandon Buckner at right guard, and Cody Stewart at right tackle, and Trevor Rhodus at tight end made up the offensive line.

The Panthers Scott Durbin scored on a 5-yard run with 1:26 left in the third quarter and when Cory Brune added the conversion kick, the hosts led 20-19. The Carlinville sideline was stunned. But good teams find a way to recover and the Cavaliers did just that.

Josh Rives got the comeback started when he took the ensuing kickoff from Litchfield from the 11 and returned it 25 yards to give CHS excellent field position at their 36. The Cavies went back to doing what they do best – running the football. Bobby Simmons had a three yard gain and Rives picked up six more. After Zac Dixon picked up a first down on a quarterback keeper at the 47, Rives had a 4-yard run and Simmons picked up a first down at the LHS 43 with a 6-yard gain. Simmons then broke loose for 42 yards before being brought down at the Litchfield 1-yard line. Simmons finished the drive with a run up the middle as the Cavaliers regained the lead at 25-20. Dixon completed a pass to a wide open Josh Carnduff in the end zone for the two-point conversion and it was 27-20 with 10:40 left in the game.

“Litchfield had scored back-to-back in the third quarter and completely shut down our offense – we didn’t even get a first down,” said Easterday. “I told coach (Quinn) Steiner on the sideline and those guys up in the booth, ‘we just need to get back to basics’ and we did that and we didn’t fold the tent.”

“Coach Cooper got them (team) together after Litchfield’s second score and we had a good return from Josh Rives and got some field position back,” he said. “We picked up a first down and the quarter changed and we got a good drink of water and I told them ‘here’s our time, our time is right now’. We started with belly with Bobby (Simmons) off tackle and got it rolling and then back to Josh (Rives).

The Panthers, who run the spread offense, tried to battle back, but the CHS defense, which couldn’t seem to stop LHS in the third quarter, rose to the occasion when the game was on the line. Litchfield picked up a first down at the 47, but two incomplete passes and a short pass from Zach Wilkinson to Mitch Wilkinson left the hosts facing a fourth-and-three at the Carlinville 46. Z. Wilkinson could not find a receiver and when he tried to run the ball, Nick Williams and Eddie Ray combined to wrap him up well short of the first down and Carlinville took over on downs.

The Cavaliers went for the clincher. This time it was Rives who got the big run as the senior halfback had a 44-yard run to set up a first-and-goal at the Litchfield 4-yard line. Two plays later, Dixon scored on a quarterback run to make it 33-20 with 6:30 left in the game.

The Carlinville defense then shut down Litchfield as the Panthers got the football on their 23 and turned it over on downs on the 22 four plays later following an incomplete pass. The Cavies took advantage of the short field to tack on another six points on a 12-yard run by Dixon with 3:31 left to account for the final score.

CHS built their early lead with two long scoring drives and a short drive following the game’s only turnover – a lost fumble by Litchfield.

The Cavies struck first late in the first quarter following a 12-play, 81-yard drive that consumed nearly six minutes. Rives had the biggest run, a 17-yard run that was aided by a huge block by Q. Williams. Rives finished the drive with a 3-yard run and Shawn Crouch added the conversion kick to make it 7-0 with 3:09 left in the first quarter.

Brune returned the ensuing kickoff 45 yards to give LHS excellent field position at the Carlinville 48. But on first down the exchange between Z. Wilkinson and fullback Dakota Furman never took place. The loose football was recovered by Ray and the Cavies were back in business at their 49.

Rives picked up nine yards to the Litchfield 45 and Simmons followed with a 9-yard run to the host’s 36. Rives scampered 35 yards for a first and goal at the one and then scored his second TD on a one-yard scamper. The conversion kick was wide right, but CHS led 13-0 with 1:36 left in the first quarter.

Litchfield drove into Carlinville territory picking up a first down at the 26 following a 14-yard run by Z. Wilkinson. Carlinville was penalized for jumping offsides, but Ray, who had a team-high 14 tackles, rocked Durbin as he wrapped him up for a 4-yard loss. Two plays later, the hosts turned the ball over on downs at the 25 following an incomplete pass.

The Cavaliers second long drive was an 11-play, 74-yard drive that took just over four minutes off the clock. Rives and Simmons logged most of the yardage, but Dixon hooked up with Josh Carnduff for a 9-yard gain on a screen pass and then found Rhodus open in the flat for a 10-yard pickup as Carlinville mixed in the pass. Rives finished the scoring drive with his third TD run of the half on a 13-yard run. The Cavies went for two, but the pass play was broken up and CHS led 19-0 with 5:30 left in the half.

Litchfield, which finished their season 4-5, gained a little momentum back as they put together an 11-play, 66-yard drive that ended when Brune caught a 6-yard pass from Z. Wilkinson with 2:33 left in the first half. The conversion kick was blocked and Carlinville led 19-6 at halftime.

The one-two punch of Rives and Simmons combined for 322 of Carlinville 351 yards rushing in the game. Rives had 191 yards on 23 carries, while Simmons picked up 131 yards on 20 attempts.

“You never replace a great fullback and Darnell Scott’s a great one,” Easterday said. “To see Bobby (Simmons) step into that role and fill those shoes is very nice. We survived two weeks with just Josh Rives and throwing the football a little bit. Now you put Bobby Simmons in the mix, who had a breakthrough game last night, and really came through in the clutch for us.”

Scott, who suffered a separated shoulder late in the first half against Hillsboro, had surgery last week and will not return for the Cavaliers this season. He was second on the team in rushing with 447 yards. Scott, a track & field standout will return at full strength for track season.

One of the most amazing stats in Friday’s game was turnovers and fumbles, or the lack there of. Litchfield had one lost fumble in the second quarter. That was it. Considering it had rained more than two inches and the field was wet, you expected the game to be sloppy. It was not.

“Coach Elvers (Litchfield head coach Mark Elvers) and I talked before the game that there was the potential of just a sloppy game,” joked Easterday. “Carlinville can turn the football over with the best of them – we don’t have the greatest track record for that – but we work on it and work on it and I was really happy to see the kids one more week reaching another goal that we had set.”

Carlinville’s defense did a solid job against Litchfield holding the pass-happy Panthers to just 222 total yards of offense. Litchfield had 47 yards rushing on 27 attempts and Z. Wilkinson was 18-30 passing for 175 yards.

“Our goal against any spread team is to keep them under 250 yards,” Easterday said. “That’s a good goal for us and I thought our defense only had three bad series in the whole game. We had three series where there was a little bit of luck and little bit of bad tackling. They caught us in a blitz one time and Wilkinson hit a kid over the middle. But that’s just football. I thought our defense just did a great job of mixing up coverage’s and showing different looks. Those 11 and coach Steiner really did a nice job last night.”

In addition to Ray, Brent Fish had a solid game defensively with 10 tackles including four solos. Fish also had a sack and two tackles for losses. Andy Reich and Simmons also had sacks. Q. Williams, N. Williams, Carnduff, Dixon, Rhodus, and Alec Boente were all solid on defense.

The Cavaliers finish the regular season 6-3 tied for second place in the South Central Conference with Hillsboro and Pana. Greenville won the conference title with a 9-0 record. Marquette Catholic and Southwestern both finished 5-4 while qualifying for the playoffs as at-large entrants.

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The CHS JV and frosh squads wrapped up their seasons this past week. The JV team defeated Southwestern 39-14 Oct. 19 as Anthony Gillock had three touchdown runs. The JV team finished 5-3.

The Carlinville freshman finished a perfect 7-0 by beating Litchfield 20-0 in a driving rain Oct. 22. Cory Farneti and Brendan Stewart both rushed for TD’s for the frosh squad.

By Tim Tarter

Macoupin County Enquirer~Democrat

There was nothing fancy about Carlinville’s victory over Southwestern Friday, Oct. 16 at the CHS Athletic Field. The Cavaliers simply dismantled the Piasa Birds in the first half and cruised to a 35-16 South Central Conference win on senior night before an estimated 853 fans.

Carlinville’s defense, which has struggled at times against the pass this year, helped force seven Southwestern turnovers (5 interceptions and 2 fumbles) and the Cavaliers converted three of those into scores.

“Our pass defense had been a weak spot in our defense,” Carlinville coach Chad Easterday said. “We made some adjustments tonight that really controlled their game. We had some kids in the right spots and they had done a good job all week in the rain practicing just that. Most teams are going to the spread offense and you’ve got to be able to defend that. The kids did a great job disguising coverage.”

Carlinville scored on four of their first five possessions and rolled up 351 yards of offense as Zac Dixon threw for 154 yards and Josh Rives ran for three touchdowns.

“They did a great job, said Easterday of his offense. “We punched the ball in and we were able to mix things up with our passing game. Alec Boente, who went to wing when Simmons moved to fullback, was our blocking back. He knew his responsibility and played with a spiral fracture on his hand. I thought he just did a phenomenal job. Josh Rives was a warrior out there in the mud – he just grinded it out time after time after time. I felt like our offense was the complete package.”

The Cavaliers won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. Carlinville kicker Shawn Crouch promptly sent the game’s opening kickoff into the end zone for a touchback and the guests started on their 20. After the Birds picked up a first down at the 48, Alec Boente dropped Ryan Gray of Southwestern for a four yard loss. On the next play, Nick Williams played the pass perfectly and picked off a Ryan Cox pass at the CHS 46 to end the drive.

The CHS offense went right to work putting together a 6-play, 54-yard drive. On second-and-12 from the Carlinville 44, Zac Dixon went deep and found freshman receiver Brendan Stewart open for a 36-yard gain to the Southwestern 20. Dixon gained four yards to the 16 and Rives had a pickup of six for a first-and-goal at the 10. Dixon surged forward for five more yards and Rives ended the drive as he danced into the endzone on a 5-yard touchdown run. Crouch added the conversion kick and the Cavies led 7-0 with 6:27 left in the first quarter.

Bobby Simmons, who moved to nose guard to replace Darnell Scott, who was injured in last week’s game against Hillsboro, came up with a big defensive play on the Bird’s next possession. He blitzed and dropped Gray for a five yard loss. Following an incomplete pass and a pass to Gray for 9 yards, SHS was forced to punt the football back to CHS.

The Cavaliers began their next drive on the Southwestern 43 following a 16-yard punt. It took eight plays to get into the endzone as Rives scored his second TD on a four-yard run to make it 14-0 following the conversion kick by Crouch with 1:00 left in the opening frame.

The Piasa Birds, whose first five drives all began inside their own 25-yard line, started on their 23 following the ensuing kickoff. After Steven Jones three yard run gave SHS a first down on the 35, the CHS defense against shut down the visitors forcing Southwestern to punt.

Following an 18-yard punt by Jacob Juliano, the Cavies began their next drive on their 44. Rives, who entered the game with 961 yards, got the carry on a jet sweep to the right for a 25-yard run to the SHS 31 that also put the senior halfback over the 1,000 yard for the 2009 season. The drive stalled when Dixon was stopped at the 8-yard line, two yards shy of a first down. Crouch attempted a 26-yard field goal, but it was wide left with 10:56 left in the second quarter.

CHS continued to be solid defensively. Cox found Conner Kessinger open on a screen pass for a seven yard gain, but on third-and-three, Dixon broke up a pass play when he knocked the ball to the ground for an incomplete pass and the Birds were forced to punt it away once again.

Following a 22-yard punt, Carlinville got excellent field position at the Southwestern 49. Rives was dropped for a two yard loss, but on the next play, Dixon found fellow senior Trevor Rhodus open over the middle of the field. Rhodus made the catch and nearly took it in before being tackled from behind at the two yard line. Rives got the call and he scored his third TD on a 2-yard run to put the Cavies up 21-0 following the conversion kick by Crouch with 7:31 left in the second quarter.

The Cavaliers defense got the football right back when Southwestern fumbled the snap on the first play from scrimmage and Carlinville recovered on the Birds’ 19. Simmons got the call three straight times and he had runs of five and three yards. A face mask penalty moved the ball to the six and Simmons found a hole on the left side of the line and took it in to put Carlinville up 28-0 after the conversion kick by Crouch with 6:18 left in the second quarter.

Southwestern finally put together a sustained drive moving from their 14 to the Carlinville 9-yard line. But after picking up a first-and-goal, Rhodus came up with a huge interception for CHS as he picked off a Cox pass at the five and returned it out to the 13. Rives picked up a first down with a 30-yard jaunt to the 43, but the Cavaliers fumbled the football on their next play from scrimmage and the Birds recovered on the Carlinville 37.

It took the guests just one play to find the end zone as Cox threw a lateral screen pass to Nick Skjerseth, who then passed it down the right sideline to Seth Rich who was wide open for a touchdown. Cox then completed the drive with a pass to Gray for the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 28-8 at halftime.

As the game wore on field conditions continued to worsen as Carlinville’s field, like most in the area, has taken in a large amount of rain over the past two weeks. Fortunately for CHS, they had done most of their damage on this night prior to the field getting sloppy.

Carlinville got the second half kickoff on their 33, but a holding penalty bogged CHS down and they had to punt for the first time in the game. Dixon hit a beauty as the rugby style punter got a great roll good for a 45-yard punt that put Southwestern back at their 38.

Following an incomplete pass, Carlinville’s Eddie Ray came through with a huge play. Just when you thought maybe the guests might try to get back into this football game, Ray intercepted a Cox pass at the Southwestern 45 and took it to the house for a touchdown, the first defensive score of his career. Crouch added the conversion kick and CHS led 35-8 with 8:56 to go in the third quarter.

The Cavaliers then added insult to injury. Southwestern took over on their 23 following the ensuring kickoff. Williams got his second interception of the game as he stepped in front of a receiver to take the ball away.

Turnovers began to pile up as the Cavaliers next drive ended when Simmons took the pitch from Dixon and tried to hit Rhodus in the end zone. Gray picked it off for Southwestern. The Birds gave it back to Carlinville when senior linebacker Cody Stewart recovered a loose football at the Birds’ 48. Three plays later, CHS fumbled the football and Gray recovered for Southwestern.

Carlinville’s defense forced a three-and-out and CHS got the football on their 35 after Josh Carnduff returned a punt 10 yards. Rives got the carry, but Gray literally wrestled the ball away from Rives at the 40 and returned the fumble 40 yards for a score. Cox ran in the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 35-16 with 1:39 left in the third quarter.

The second half of this game seemed to drag on forever, due in part to Southwestern’s passing game. But CHS did their best to try to run some clock as they drove from the SHS 45 to the 21 before turning it over on downs. That drive took over three and a half minutes off the clock.

Southwestern moved the ball into Carlinville territory as Cox had a 20-yard run and Gray gained 7 yards for a first down at the CHS 35. However, that was as far as the Birds would get. B. Stewart, who showed he belongs at the varsity level, got the Cavies’ fifth interception as he picked off a Cox pass as the 22 yard and returned it 20 yards. While Stewart was hit at the end of the play and fumbled the football, N. Williams was right there to fall on the football.

CHS then put their ball-control offense to work. They moved the ball from their 42 to the Southwestern 14. Two procedure penalties helped stall the drive, but CHS had ate nearly five minutes off the clock by the time they turned it over on downs with 4:19 left in the game.

Southwestern moved from their 18 to the Carlinville 13, before turning it over on downs with 1:28 left. Dixon then took three consecutive knees to finish off an important win for the Cavaliers that improved their record to 5-3 and likely clinched their 24th Illinois High School Association playoff berth.

“It was a great win,” Carlinville coach Chad Easterday said after the game. “The kids came out of the gate hard and we executed very well the majority of the game. “Overall, it was a great effort by all of our seniors and the rest of the team. I was very proud of our kids in the mud, coming off a hard loss last week to Hillsboro, and playing in nearly the same field conditions. They really stepped up.”

The Carlinville defense held Southwestern to just 75 yards rushing on 24 attempts as the Piasa Birds struggled to get any yardage on the ground. Ray had a terrific game as he led the defense with 14 tackles including seven solos.

“Not many teams have been able to run the football on us,” said Easterday. “Hillsboro was one of the few teams that were able to line up on us and run the football. Our front four did a good job against Southwestern. They covered up for Darnell (Scott) being gone and we had a couple of kids really step up. Cody Stewart moved there this week. He was on a rotating basis with Andy Reich and Quantrel Williams. We stuck Zach Burch in there and Brent Fish. Those kids really took up the slack.”

Rives rushes for 104 yards on 23 carries and now has 1,065 yards rushing for the season. Simmons had 48 yards on 9 carries and Dixon picked up 32 yards on 16 attempts. Dixon had his best passing game of the year as he went 7-9 for 154 yards with no interceptions. B. Stewart had 3 catches for 79 yards, while Rhodus caught 2 passes for 56 yards and Carnduff had two receptions for 19 yards.

Cox completed 20-35 passes for 202 yards for the Piasa Birds, but had five interceptions. Gray, one of the top offensive producers in the conference, had 31 yards rushing on 14 attempts and caught five passes for 57 yards. Rich had four receptions for 78 yards.

Southwestern is now 4-4 and will host Marquette Catholic this week. The Piasa Birds must beat Marquette to be eligible for playoff consideration.

The Cavaliers will finish their regular season at Litchfield tomorrow (Friday) night. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. at Lloyd Hill Field. The Purple Panthers are 4-4 and need a victory to become eligible for playoff consideration.

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The IHSA playoff pairings will be announced this Saturday, Oct. 24. The pairings will be broadcast live on the IHSA Television Network on Channel 12 (NewWave Communications) in Carlinville beginning at 8 p.m. You can also go to the IHSA website at www.ihsa.org or watch online at www.foxjox.com.

By Tim Tarter

Macoupin County Enquirer~Democrat

Whenever Hillsboro and Carlinville meet on the gridiron, you can count on a good, hard-hitting football game played in the trenches. After more than three inches of rain drenched the CHS Athletic Field Thursday, Oct. 8, and early Friday, Oct. 9, there was little doubt that Friday evening’s South Central Conference game was going to be a typical get down and dirty affair between the two rivals.

Ironically, in a game where both teams combined to rush the football 85 times, it was a pass play and two blocked kicks that turned the tables on the Cavies. After CHS took a 13-7 lead with 1:14 left in the game, Eric Simmons blocked the attempt for the conversion kick. The Hiltoppers responded on the ensuing drive with a 72-yard pass play to tie the game with 50 seconds left, and then took a 14-13 lead when Caleb Grantham’s conversion kick split the uprights. Simmons sealed the victory for the visitors when he blocked a 32-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the game to give Hillsboro their fifth straight win over CHS.

“I was very proud of our kids and our coaching staff,” Carlinville coach Chad Easterday said. “It could have been very easy after they took the lead for us to just lie down and die and we could have gone three-and-out and watched Hillsboro take a knee.”

Carlinville’s two-minute offense was effective. After Dane Boente fielded the kickoff and returned it 10 yards to the 40, the ‘Toppers were hit with a major 15-yard penalty for a late hit. The Cavies ended up with the football on the HHS 45 with 43 seconds left in the game. Josh Rives picked up three yards to the 42 and Bobby Simmons got outside and picked up 15 yards and a first down at the 27. Dixon then found Josh Carnduff for a 12-yard gain on a pass play to the 15. Dixon spiked the ball with 8.3 seconds left to set up the final play. Shawn Crouch was called on to attempt a 32-yard field goal. The snap was good, but Simmons smothered the kick as the Hiltoppers celebrated a big win. It was heartbreak on the Carlinville side of the field.

“Coach Cooper got them all riled up and we had a good kick return and a penalty on the kickoff to give us good field position,” Easterday said. “We ran two running plays and a pass play – stuff that we practice just for that situation – I was very proud to see our kids and our field goal team ready to go. They (Hillsboro) came with an all out block and we had somebody slip in the mud – that’s why football’s a great game. The kick got blocked.”

“It’s a tribute to both sides and the coaching staffs,” he added. “I thought they (Hillsboro) did a great job and I thought our staff did a great job. It’s just a tough ballgame to lose, but we gave ourselves an opportunity to win, so I was very proud of them.”

The 34th meeting between the two schools in a series that dates back to 1925 would likely be coined an “instant classic” by ESPN. The game featured a little bit of everything. Both teams had opportunities to put points on the board, but turnovers and penalties proved costly.

Hillsboro started the game with a bang as the Hiltoppers won the coin flip and elected to receive. Mike Ettling took the opening kickoff from the 15 and weaved his way across midfield for a 52-yard return to give HHS great field position at the Carlinville 33. It took the guests 10 plays to get it to the endzone as Robbie Dirigo scored on a one yard quarterback keeper with 6:33 to go in the opening quarter. Grantham added the conversion kick for a 7-0 Hillsboro lead.

The Cavaliers answered, albeit in two drives. Carlinville moved from their own 27 to the Hillsboro 36. Rives had runs of 5 and 10 yards and Dixon found Trevor Rhodus for a 17 yard pickup. But on third-and-four, a procedure penalty pushed CHS back five yards and Dixon’s pass to Simmons was just short forcing a punt.

Dixon hit a high, short kick and Ettling signaled for a fair catch at the 10. When Ettling failed to make the catch, D. Boente picked up the loose ball and returned it to the one-yard line. After Rives was stopped for no gain, Dixon took it up the middle to pull the Cavies within 7-6. Brendan Stewart added the conversion kick and it was 7-7 with 1:36 left in the first quarter.

That would be all of the scoring in the first half. The Toppers next two drives ended in punts while Carlinville saw their drives end with two turnovers – an interception by Hillsboro’s Nolan Rappe and a fumble recovery by Keifer Thacker of Hillsboro on the Carlinville 25. HHS would fail to capitalize however as they drove inside the Carlinville 10 only to see a holding penalty move them back to the 17. Grantham’s 32-yard field goal attempt with 2:23 left in the half was wide right.

The Cavaliers drive from their 20 into Hillsboro territory. A 25-yard run by Darnell Scott gave CHS a first down at the 46; but that play was very costly as Scott suffered a collarbone injury was unable to return to the game. Dixon picked up 10 yards and a first down at the Hillsboro 43 and then gained nine more yards on a run to the 34. Dixon then hooked up with Rhodus on an 8-yard pass play to the 26. After an incomplete pass, Rives was stopped in the backfield for a loss of two. Carlinville allowed the clock to run down to 2 seconds and took timeout. Crouch, with the wind at his back, was brought in to attempt a 45-yard field goal. The kick was online, but fell short as the half ended with the teams tied 7-7.

The third quarter and much of the fourth quarter was simply more of the same as both teams were able to move the football at times, but the defenses refused to break as the field became muddier and the footing was challenging. Carlinville’s first two possessions of the second half resulted in a 3-and-out and a Zac Dixon punt. Hillsboro moved the ball to the Carlinville 33, but a procedure penalty and a sack ended that drive. Carnduff ended the ‘Toppers second drive when he picked off a pass at the CHS 23.

The Cavaliers third turnover of the game was a fumbled snap that Hillsboro recovered at the 48-yard line of Carlinville. But six plays later, Thacker was stripped of the ball and Dixon recovered for CHS at the 31.

Hillsboro’s best scoring opportunity before their last drive came after the Cavaliers gambled with a fake punt on third-and-four from their 37. Dixon got outside and dove for what appeared to be just enough yardage. But the spot was not favorable for CHS and following a measurement, the Cavies were inches short and turned it over downs.

Dirigo kept the ball on a QB option and picked up 24 yards for a first down at the Carlinville 17. A personal foul penalty for a late hit on CHS moved the ball half the distance to the goal for a first and goal at the Carlinville 8-yard line. But the CHS defense came up big. A one yard loss and back-to-back no gains forced a 25-yard field goal attempt by Grantham that was just wide. CHS had dodged a bullet with 3:56 left in the game.

The Cavaliers got the ball on their own 20 following the field goal miss and Dixon went to work. The 6-foot-2 senior quarterback had one of the best games of his career as he tried to will Carlinville to victory. Dixon had a solid run for 22 yards to the 42. A personal foul on Hillsboro moved the ball 15 more yards to the Hillsboro 43. Dixon was sacked for an 8 yard loss, but following an offsides penalty on HHS, Dixon gained 9 yards to the 37. Eddie Ray, who filled in a fullback for Scott in the second half, had a big five yard run to give CHS a first down at the 32. Ray picked up two more yards to the 30 and then Rives found a hole and gained 10 more yards for a first down at the Hillsboro 20. Dixon finished the drive with as hard a run by a quarterback that you’ll ever see. He broke tackles and literally carried a Hillsboro tackler into the endzone as he dove the final three yards to paydirt to put CHS on top 13-7 with 1:14 left.

If you’re a Cavalier fan, that’s where you wish the game had ended. But it just wasn’t meant to be Carlinville. CHS kicked off and Carnduff made a great open field tackle of Ettling at the 28. On first down, Dirigo dropped back to pass. He escaped two different rushes and had all of at least 10 seconds to survey the field. He found Rappe in a seam, who got a great block at the sideline and then took it the rest of the way for a 72-yard score.

From a fan’s perspective the final 1:14 of the game may have been some of the most exciting football you’ll see all year. But oh how your heart had to ache for Coach Easterday and his young men. They had played hard for four quarters. They had opportunities. They put themselves in a position to win. But they just couldn’t pull it out.

The game was nearly as even statistically as it was on the scoreboard. Hillsboro had 233 yards of total offense to 218 yards for Carlinville. CHS had 14 first downs, while the ‘Toppers had 11. Each team had three turnovers with two lost fumbles and an interception.

Dixon led Carlinville in rushing with 67 yards on 13 carries with two touchdowns. Carlinville’s speedsters were never able to get going on the wet turf as Rives was held to a season low 40 yards on 13 carries and Simmons had just 17 yards on 8 carries. Rives is just 39 yards short of 1000 yards. He is trying to become just the second CHS rusher in the past decade to top the coveted mark. Dane Walker gained 1076 in 2007 to become the first 1000 yard rusher since Tunde Ridley in 1995.

Dixon also had a solid game passing the ball as he was 4-9 for 48 yards. Rhodus had 3 receptions for 36 yards and Carnduff had one catch for 12 yards.

Dirigo led the Hiltoppers with 74 yards on 12 carries. He was 2-5 passing for 80 yards.

Both Carlinville and Hillsboro are now 4-3 and in a logjam for third place in the conference standings with Southwestern, Marquette Catholic, and Litchfield.

“We’ve talked about the South Central being rescrambled and its great football every week,” Easterday said. “I tell the kids every week we gotta get one. We’re 4-3 now with two tough opponents in Southwestern and Litchfield. We definitely need one of the two just to get in the playoffs.”

Five wins would likely be enough to get CHS into the playoffs since all 5-4 teams are guaranteed 40 points in a ‘closed’ conference like the South Central Conference. However, seeding position for the playoffs would certainly help Carlinville to be 6-3 rather than 5-4.

“Southwestern just returned Ryan Cox this week and got a big win over Vandalia,” Easterday said. “We’ll have our hands full there on senior night and then we go to Litchfield. We’ll regroup this week and see what happens.”

Carlinville hosts Southwestern for senior night tomorrow (Friday) night at 7:00 p.m. The Cavaliers will honor 12 senior football players prior to the game along with senior cheerleaders, Cavalettes, band members, and the golf and cross country teams.

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The Carlinville freshman football team had their game against Hillsboro postponed last Thursday. The frosh squad is 5-0 and will travel to Southwestern tonight (Thursday) for a 6 o’clock kickoff.

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The Carlinville JV traveled to Hillsboro Monday, Oct. 12, and dropped a 20-13 decision to the Hiltoppers. The junior varsity team is now 3-3 and will play at Southwestern Monday, Oct. 19. Kickoff is at 6:00 p.m.

By Tim Tarter

Macoupin County Enquirer~Democrat

The Carlinville High School football team put on an offensive show Friday, Oct. 3 on their way to a 54-14 blowout of East Alton-Wood River in a South Central Conference game at Wood River’s Memorial Field. When the dust had settled, the Cavaliers had three running backs top the century mark as CHS piled up 562 yards of total offense including 498 yards rushing.

It was complete domination from start to finish. CHS kicked off to start the game and freshman kicker Brendan Stewart placed the ball in a perfect spot on the Wood River 35 and Dane Boente, just as he had done two weeks earlier at Pana, hustled downfield and outraced the Oilers to the football.

“I had the great pleasure of working with Don Borgini as everybody knows and special teams is a huge part of the game and we coach that a lot, said Carlinville coach Chad Easterday of the kickoff. “We saw an opportunity. The kick is not onside, it’s to pin them on the sidelines and Brendan (Stewart) just happened to put the ball – and we practice it – in the right spot and Dane Boente was in the right spot. We caught a break. It worked to perfection just like in practice. It’s one of those things you can gamble on when you’re on the road and we thought we could that.”

Indeed the Cavies did that and four plays later they cashed in on a short 4-play 30-yard drive when Josh Rives scored the first of his three touchdowns in the opening quarter on a 17-yard run. The conversion kick was blocked, but Carlinville led 6-0 just one minute and 45 seconds into the game.

East Alton-Wood River, which runs out of a spread offense, kept on the ball on the ground on their opening drive as senior running back Detraze McElroy got six carries as the Oilers started on their 18 and moved the ball to the 47 before a procedure penalty and an incomplete pass forced the hosts to punt after a 3:34 drive.

Following a 41-yard punt that rolled dead at the CHS 18, the Cavies offense went right back to work. Rives picked up 18 yards and Bobby Simmons gained 20 more. A holding penalty moved Carlinville back 10 yards to the 38, but it only slowed the inevitable. After Rives 22-yard jaunt, the Cavies had a first down at the Oiler’s 27. Simmons 9-yard run got it to the 18. Following an incomplete pass, Rives got the next two carries as he gained 13 yards to the five before finishing the drive with a 5-yard TD run. CHS went for two points on the conversion, but failed to connect on a pass play as it was 12-0 with 3:26 left in the first quarter.

The Oilers next drive started on their 21. Darnell Scott sacked EA-WR quarterback Aaron Ragusa for a 7-yard loss, but Ragusa hooked up with Colby Hall on third-and-long for a 33-yard pass play that gave the hosts a first down at the 47. A short pass to Kevin Tharp moved the ball to midfield, but that was as far as the Oilers would get as they were forced to punt it away following an incomplete pass.

Ragusa lined up in the shotgun as if to imply EA-WR might go for it on fourth-and-seven, but instead quick kicked it and nailed a beauty as it was down at the CHS 2-yard line. No problem for the Carlinville offense. Quarterback Zac Dixon, who rushed for a career-high 106 yards in the game, kept the ball and gained 8 yards. Darnell Scott followed with a 10-yard run for a first down at the 20. After a procedure penalty, Dixon galloped 24 yards for a first down at the 39. An illegal motion penalty moved the ball back five yards, but on the final play of the opening quarter, Rives broke loose for 66 yards as the senior halfback got outside and went down the sidelines for his third TD. Dixon then found Stewart open on the two-point conversion for a 20-0 lead.

East Alton-Wood River (0-6, 0-6 SCC) again moved the ball to near midfield as McElroy had an 11-yard run to the 46. But the Oilers would never cross the 50-yard line the entire first half. Carlinville’s defense forced the third punt in three possessions for the Oilers. Simmons fielded Ragusa’s 39-yard punt and broke loose from two tacklers as he returned it 44 yards to give the Cavaliers a first down at the EA-WR 40.

It took just five plays for the Cavies to find the end zone as Dixon first found Josh Carnduff on a 17-yard pass play to the 10 and then hit Simmons in the back of the end zone for a 10 yard touchdown. Stewart added the conversion kick and Carlinville led 27-0 with 7:45 left in the second quarter.

The hosts picked up a first down at the 39 on a 12-yard pass to Scott Gibbs, but again the CHS shut down EA-WR as the Oilers turned it over on downs at their 42 following back-to-back incomplete passes.

Carlinville’s offense again struck quickly. Rives had gains of 4 and 11 yards followed by a 17-yard run by Simmons. Scott then got in the offensive explosion as he went up the middle untouched on a 12-yard scamper for a 34-0 lead following Stewart’s conversion kick with 4:14 left in the first half.

The home team was remarkably consistent as they started on their 43 following a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against CHS. But after two short gains to the 48, the Oilers turned it over on downs after two incomplete passes.

The Cavies appeared to strike quickly as Dixon found Simmons again, this time on a pass to the flat that Simmons took 48 yards for a score. But Carlinville, which was flagged 12 times for 100 yards in the game, was called for an illegal block and the ball was moved back to the CHS 35. Dixon decided to keep it himself this time as he got outside and went down the sidelines for a 65-yard TD run that put the Cavies up 41-0 with 2:36 left in the half following Stewart’s third straight conversion kick.

With a 41-0 lead at halftime, the Cavaliers were able to relax a little bit as the second half would be played with the ‘mercy rule’ in effect, which means that the clock would be continuous the entire second half.

Carlinville got the second half kickoff as Rives had a 29-yard return to give CHS excellent field position at the EA-WR 47. Simmons gained 21 yards to the 26 and Rives picked up four more yards to the 22. But another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Cavies moved it back to the 37. That didn’t stop the offensive unit, which scored on their first six possessions. Scott picked up seven yards on a run and Simmons gained 17 yards to set up a first down at the 13. Dixon followed with his second TD run on a 13-yard run to make it 47-0 with 8:46 left in the third quarter. The conversion kick was blocked.

Both the offense and defense got one series in the second half. After the offense scored, the defense was not about to be outdone. They immediately shut down the Oilers on a three-and-out to force a punt.

At this point, the CHS JV team or second string took over with 6:00 left in the third quarter. With a running clock the JV team moved the ball 57 yards in 12 plays on drive that took 8:43 and ended with Stewart scoring his first varsity touchdown on a 15-yard run. Zach Etter added the conversion kick for a 54-0 lead.

Carlinville, which had posted back-to-back shutouts the previous two weeks for the first time since 1995, was trying to make it three in a row, but after 11 consecutive scoreless quarters, the Oilers broke that streak with a 45-yard touchdown pass from Ragusa to Kevin Tharp with 4:26 left in the game.

Ironically, the only turnover in the game from either side occurred with just under three minutes left when Stewart was stripped of the ball after an 18-yard run. The Oilers converted that into a 24-yard touchdown pass from Ragusa to Josh Bennett with just 42 seconds left in the game.

Carlinville finished out the game in the closing seconds by getting Brazilian foreign exchange student Artur Felix the ball. Felix took it around the right side for an 11-yard gain on the games final play.

“We stayed within ourselves – that was our goal, Easterday said. “We worked on some formations that hopefully down the road will help us. We tried some shifting last night and it worked pretty well I thought. We had struggled with our passing game the last couple of weeks. We started out the year strong with our passing. I’m happy to see that protection-wise the offensive line did a great job.”

The offensive onslaught was led by Rives with 162 yards on 10 carries and three scores. Simmons had 100 yards on 8 carries with a TD reception for 10 yards. Dixon had his first 100-yard rushing game with 106 yard and 2 rushing touchdowns. He also completed 4-5 passes for 36 yards with a TD. Scott picked up 42 yards on six carries and Stewart also had 42 yards on 5 carries.

“We said before the game that we were going to be error-free in terms of assignments,” Easterday said. “We had a couple of goals to work on and we got that accomplished that last night – to be error-free on all 11 – we kind of set that goal this week and we got that goal accomplished.”

Defensively, the Cavaliers got a solid game from their entire defensive unit. Eddie Ray, who leads the team in tackles for the season with 60, had 11 including two solos. Scott had 3 tackles and a sack. Simmons had four tackles and Trevor Rhodus added three tackles. The CHS first-team defense held the Oilers to 59 yards rushing and 49 yards passing in two and a half quarters of work.

Carlinville, with their third consecutive win, improves to 4-2 overall and 4-2 in the South Central Conference. The Cavies will host Hillsboro tomorrow (Friday) night at 7:00 p.m. The Hiltoppers are 3-3 following a 35-21 loss to Vandalia last week.

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The Carlinville freshman team continued their unbeaten streak as they defeated East Alton-Wood River 27-8 Saturday, Oct. 3. The game was originally scheduled for Oct. 1, but was postponed due to rain and wet field conditions.

Cory Farneti scored the first three touchdowns, all on short runs for a 21-0 halftime lead. The final touchdown came on a 66-yard pass play from Kris Emmons to Brendan Stewart. The frosh team will travel to Hillsboro today (Thursday) for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff.

By Tim Tarter

Macoupin County Enquirer~Democrat

Sometimes the toughest task can look like the easiest on paper. Roxana High School’s football team came to town winless Friday night, Sept. 25, having been outscored 154-6 in their first four games. In fact, the Shells entered the game with a 26-game losing streak dating back to Sept. 29, 2006. Roxana has lost 50 of their last 51 games since starting the 2003 season 10-0 and advancing to the second round of the Class 4A playoffs.

The Cavaliers on the other hand were coming off of an impressive 13-0 win over previously unbeaten Pana the week before and brought a modest 2-2 record into the game. Carlinville did indeed do what they were supposed to do as they posted a 43-0 win over Roxana, but it was anything but easy.

CHS struggled offensively in the first half, thanks to three lost fumbles. Turnovers can often be the great equalizer at any level of football. But the Cavaliers were able to do what Roxana couldn’t do. Convert their opponent’s turnovers into points. That turned out to be the difference in the game.

Carlinville first points were actually scored by the special teams. Roxana was pinned deep on their second possession following a 42-yard punt by Zac Dixon. On fourth down from their 11, the Shells were forced to punt from the end zone. A bad snap was recovered by Roxana punter Stephan Garner as Eddie Ray tackled him for a safety to put the Cavies up 2-0 with 5:52 to go in the opening quarter.

The Cavaliers fumbled on their next possession at the Roxana 26-yard line. After Dixon dropped Brendon West for a seven yard loss, the Shells were forced to go to the air on third-and long. Josh Carnduff came up with a big defensive play for Carlinville as he picked off a Ryan Touchette pass at the 40 and returned it to the Roxana 17. RHS was also flagged for a personal foul on the play moving the ball half the distance to the goal at the 8. After a short gain by Josh Rives, Dixon took it for a 6-yard TD run on a quarterback keeper. The conversion kick failed, but CHS led 8-0 with 2:40 left in the first quarter.

It went from bad to worse for the guests as they got the ball on their 30 following the ensuring kickoff. On first down, Touchette was hit and stripped of the ball by Alec Boente who recovered at the Roxana 31.

The Cavies offense went back to work as Rives gained 26 yards to the RHS 5-yard line for a first-and-goal. Rives was stopped for a loss of a yard, but Bobby Simmons got the ball on a counter play and took it in from six yards out for the score. However, CHS was flagged for an illegal block, and the ball was moved back to the 10-yard line. Rives followed with a quick 10-yard jaunt for the first of his three touchdowns. Freshman Brendan Stewart, who was subbing for injured kicker Shawn Crouch missed on his first conversion kick, but split the uprights this time to make it 15-0 with 1:19 left in the opening quarter.

In a span of just two minutes, the Cavaliers had taken advantage of a Roxana interception and a fumble to put two scores on the board.

Carlinville’s defense continued to play solid, but the offense would turn it over on their next two possessions. The difference both times is that the CHS defense held after the Shells were given a short field to work with. The Cavaliers took a 15-0 lead to the locker room at halftime.

“I felt like we had a rough first half,” Carlinville head coach Chad Easterday said following the game. “We shot ourselves in the foot a few times and put the ball on the turf. They missed a few blocking assignments. Those are the types of things that you can’t do to be successful.”

“We made some halftime adjustments and came out the second half and played more error-free football and more assignment football and did a much better job controlling the ball, controlling the clock, and running our game plan,” he added.

CHS, which won the coin toss at the start of the game and deferred, got the second half kickoff. Carlinville put together an 8-play, 89-yard drive that ended when Rives scored his second touchdown on a 16-yard scamper. Stewart added the conversion for a 22-0 lead with 8:24 left in the third quarter.

Carlinville’s special teams again came up big as the Shells had trouble with snap once again and Garner lost the football. Brent Fish came up with the fumble recovery at the RHS 23-yard line. Darnell Scott gained seven yards to the 16 and Rives had back-to-back runs to give CHS a second-and-goal at the six. Dixon was stopped for a loss of a yard and a third down pass fell incomplete. The Cavaliers lined up to attempt a 25-yard field goal by Stewart, but a bad snap led to Stewart picking up the ball and trying to take it around the right side. He was stopped at the six-yard line following a hard run as CHS turned it over on downs.

The Cavaliers put the game away with two drives late in the third and early in the fourth quarter. Following a Roxana punt, Carlinville had it on their 43. Dixon gained three yards to the 46. Rives then got outside as he went around the right side and gained 44 yards to the Shells’ 10-yard line. Rives got the reward as he took it the final 10 yards for his third TD to make it 29-0 following Stewart’s PAT with :31.4 seconds left in the period.

Roxana’s fourth turnover of the game came on their next possession as Jacob Carlisle was hit the ball knocked loose. Trevor Rhodus scooped up the football and returned it 10 yards for a first down at the RHS 26-yard line. Alec Boente took at quarterback for CHS. Simmons gained two yards and Rives following with a 9-yard pickup to the 13. Boente then found Simmons in the deep flat for a 13-yard touchdown pass. Stewart added the conversion kick for a 36-0 lead with 10:59 left in the game.

Carlinville added their final score after Roxana (0-5, 0-5 South Central Conference) turned it over on down on their 41. Simmons rumbled 28 yards for a first down at the RHS 13. Simmons and Rives each had 5-yard runs for a first-and-goal at the three. Simmons then got the carry for the touchdown on a 3-yard run and Stewart added his fifth consecutive conversion kick for a 43-0 lead with 7:58 left in the game.

CHS held Roxana to 16 yards rushing and 93 yards passing. 60 of those passing yards came in the game’s final six minutes on two long pass plays, the last 28 on the final play of the game. It was an outstanding effort by a defensive unit that seems to gets stronger every week. Quantrel Williams led the team with 9 tackles including six solos. Carnduff and Boente each had six tackles and Ray added five tackles.

“That’s something we worked on the first few weeks and we’re starting to gel on defense,” Easterday said of his team’s second straight shutout. “We made some adjustments and have been rotating some kids in and out for some fresh bodies and that’s really been helping on the defensive linemen. Linebacker wise, I thought we played very well. Defensively, it was another solid night.”

Rives had his second straight 200-yard rushing game as he had 212 yards on 24 carries with 3 TDs. Rives now has 759 yards rushing in five weeks with 6 TDs. Simmons gained 56 yards on 9 carries and caught a 13-yard TD pass. Dixon gained 44 yards on 6 attempts with a TD. Ray had one catch for 16 yards. Carlinville had 366 yards of total offense with 337 yards rushing.

The Cavaliers, 3-2 overall and in the South Central Conference, return to action tomorrow (Friday) night when they travel to Wood River to face East Alton-Wood River. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.

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One interesting stat from Friday night’s game. Although Carlinville owned the scoreboard and dominated the game statistically, Roxana owned the time of possession 28:24 to Carlinville’s 19:36. Go figure.

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The Carlinville frosh football team continued to roll as they traveled to Roxana Sept. 24 and came away with a 48-12 win to remained undefeated at 4-0. The game itself got off to a fast start as there were four touchdowns in the first three minutes of the game. The CHS freshman team will play tonight (Thursday) at 6:00 p.m. at the CHS Athletic Field.

By Tim Tarter

Macoupin County Enquirer~Democrat

The Carlinville High School football team went into their game Friday, Sept. 18 at Brummett Field in Pana, in need of a win. While avoiding a 0-3 start for the third consecutive season, the Cavaliers were 1-2. Playing in front of a large homecoming crowd as Pana celebrated 100 years of football, it was the Carlinville defense and the running of Josh Rives that stole the show as CHS posted a 13-0 victory over the previously unbeaten Panthers.

Pana had outscored their first three opponents 110-13 including a 29-7 win at Marquette Catholic. But the Cavaliers were not impressed. Carlinville held the hosts to just 128 yards of total offense including 20 yards rushing. Meanwhile Rives was running roughshod as the senior halfback picked up 206 yards on 27 carries including a 66-yard TD run.

“We came out of the gate with a pretty tough schedule,” Carlinville head coach Chad Easterday said. “We started the season with three straight playoff games and Pana didn’t. The difference was we had been in close games and in atmospheres that were playoff potential and I don’t think that they had been there yet.”

The shutout was the first for Carlinville since October 3, 2008 when Carlinville beat Roxana 53-0. The Cavaliers had allowed 85 points and an average of 400 yards of offense per game in their first three games this season.

“A weakness we had the first three weeks was definitely tackling,” said Easterday. “We settled into more of a four front tonight and I thought our kids responded very well after giving up 427 yards and 32 points last week. To hold Pana to 128 yards of total offense is a great tribute to the kids and the hard work that they did throughout the week. We tackled all week long.”

As evidenced by each team’s first possession, the game was not always pretty. CHS got the opening kickoff on their 35-yard line following a 20 yard kickoff return by Rives. On the second play from scrimmage, there was a bad exchange on the snap and Pana’s Cody McLaughlin recovered at the Carlinville 43. Ironically, two snaps later, McLaughlin, the Panther’s quarterback, fumbled and Zac Dixon recovered for the Cavies.

Pana’s defense shut down the Cavaliers, but Dixon’s rugby-style punt took a big roll and resulted in a 53-yard punt that pinned the hosts back on their 9-yard line. Three plays later, PHS was forced to punt from their endzone. Jake Cutler’s 28-yard punt and a four yard return by Josh Carnduff had the Cavies in business on the Pana 31.

Rives picked up 19 yards for a first down at the 12. But the Pana defense stiffened and Dixon was stopped for a 3-yard loss on a quarterback keeper. Following an incomplete pass, Shawn Crouch came on to kick a 32-yard field goal to put CHS up 3-0 with 6:03 left in the first quarter.

The hosts were forced to start their third possession at the 12 following solid coverage on the kickoff by Carlinville. Pana picked up a first down at the 36 on a 19-yard pass from McLaughlin to Phillip Arnold. But that was it. The Panthers punted three plays later and CHS took over on their 34. It took just one play as Rives found a hole and then weaved his way through the Pana defense on a 66-yard run to put the Cavies up 10-0 following the PAT kick by Crouch with 3:12 left in the first quarter.

“When Josh touches the football, there is always a threat,” Easterday said. “He finally broke one. He had two 100 yard games, but he hadn’t broken one yet. He’s definitely electrifying to watch. My hats off to Josh Carnduff and Trevor Rhodus, who we flip-flop and they do a nice job blocking for him on that flank play.”

Carlinville’s special teams, which had a solid game, turned in a gem on the ensuing kickoff as Crouch placed a perfect kick down the right sideline and Dane Boente out hustled the Panthers and recovered the kickoff at the Pana 20-yard line. The Cavaliers were unable to take advantage, however, as a bad pitch on an option play resulted in a fumble and Pana recovered on the 42.

The remainder of the first half was a defensive stalemate. Pana had the best scoring opportunity as they put together a drive that started on their 29-yard line. The Panthers marched the ball all the way to Carlinville 19. Pana twice called on 6-foot-5, 320-pound lineman Alan Handy to carry the ball in short yardage situations. The first resulted in Pana gaining a yard and a first down at the 29. The second carry, however, resulted in a turnover. Facing third-and-inches at the CHS 19, Handy surged forward, but was stripped of the football by Dixon. Quantrel Williams recovered the football for CHS on the 18-yard-line.

Carlinville took their final possession of the half to the Pana 38 as Rives continued to pile up yardage. He had runs of 10, 8, 18, and 11 yards. But on the final play of the half, Rives was dropped for a 3-yard loss and Carlinville ran out the clock, settling for a 10-0 halftime lead.

The hosts received the second half kickoff and proceeded to move the ball from their 19 into CHS territory at the 38. But that was as close as Pana would get as the defense held and the Panthers were forced to punt following an incomplete pass.

The two teams played field possession as Carlinville was content to keep the ball on the ground and in the hand of Rives and Darnell Scott. Scott, who had just four yards on 3 carries in the first half, became a workhouse in the second half when Pana’s defense began to key on Rives.

“I really felt the turning point of the game was Rives, Rives, Rives, and then all of the sudden, Darnell gets the ball,” said Easterday. “Darnell plays both ways. He’s a great warrior. You start giving him the ball a little bit, and our offensive line did a great job, and boom, our offense explodes a little bit.”

The Panthers turned the ball over on downs at the Carlinville 40 following an incomplete pass on the first play of the fourth quarter. CHS promptly moved the ball onto the Pana side of the field, but turned the ball over on the 24 when Dixon was stripped of the ball and the hosts recovered the fumble.

The Carlinville defense, which seemed to get better as the game wore on, forced Pana on a three-and-out, and the Cavies got the ball back on the Pana 41 following a nine yard punt return by Carnduff. Scott gained eight yards to the 24 for the first down, and followed with an 11-yard run to give CHS a first down at the Panthers’ 13-yard line.

The Cavaliers were unable to punch it in for six points, but following a five yard gain by Scott to the 11 and a delay of game penalty, Crouch was called on to kick. The senior drilled a 33-yarder with room to spare and CHS led 13-0 with 2:42 left in the game. The nine-play drive consumed five minutes and 25 seconds off the clock and was just what Carlinville needed to give their defense a rest.

Wicks returned the ensuing kickoff 30 yards to give Pana (3-1 overall, 3-1 South Central Conference) excellent field position at their 45, but Carlinville’s defense was fired up. McLaughlin was chased out of the pocket and fumbled. Cutler recovered the ball for the Panthers, but the result was a 17-yard loss to the 28. PHS tried a little trickery with the hook and ladder play as McLaughlin completed a pass to Arnold, who flipped it to Derrick Lesser. But Carlinville stayed home and the play resulted in only a 10 yard gain. McLaughlin was then sacked for a 12-yard loss as Pana turned it over on downs at the 26-yard line with 1:28 left in the game.

Carlinville elected to take three consecutive knees, but PHS had two timeouts and used them both. CHS turned the ball over on downs at the Pana 37 with 25 seconds left, but midfield was a far as the hosts would get before the clock ran out.

Scott finished with 70 yards on 13 carries for the Cavies. Carlinville had 249 yards of total offense, all of that coming on the ground. McLaughlin was 10-29 passing for 108 yards for the Panthers. Eddy Ray led the CHS defense with 13 tackles including 10 solos. Carnduff had 9 tackles with 5 solos and Scott had 8 tackles with four solos and two sacks.

The Cavaliers improved to 2-2 and will host winless Roxana tomorrow (Friday) night at the CHS Athletic Field. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m.

By Tim Tarter
Macoupin County Enquirer~Democrat

There was very little that separated the Cavaliers and the Greenville High School Comets for the first 35 minutes of Friday night’s South Central Conference showdown at Carlinville High School. But in a little less than 5 minutes, the Comets exploded for three scores and went on to post a 32-7 win.

Carlinville gave a good effort against the team that won the final two SCC East titles while going 33-4 over the past three years and advancing deep into the Class 3A playoffs. In the end, the better team won the game, but the Cavies showed they were more than capable of competing with the top team in the area.

“We felt it was like a 21-7 game,” Carlinville coach Chad Easterday said. “We gave up some field position trying to do things in the fourth quarter.”

Both teams moved the football in the first half of the game, but it was a bend, not break defense. Greenville took it from their 8-yard line to the Carlinville 26 before turning it over on downs on their second possession with 4 minutes, 23 seconds left in the first quarter.

Carlinville followed by giving Greenville a steady diet of Josh Rives and Darnell Scott via the rushing game. CHS moved the ball to the Comets 3-yard line where they had a first-and-goal. On second down, the Comets came up with a huge defensive play as Rives was stopped in the backfield for a loss of 4 yards. Dixon looked for his favorite target in Trevor Rhodus on third and-goal from the 7, but the ball was just off the fingertips of Rhodus in the end zone. Shawn Crouch attempted a 25-yard field goal that was short and wide left with 11:17 remaining in the second quarter.

Carlinville’s defense put Greenville on a three-and-out as Quantrel Williams sacked GHS quarterback Todd Eaton on third down. After a 48-yard punt, the Cavaliers’ offense went to work, starting on their 32. They put together an impressive 11-play drive that ended with a clutch 18-yard touchdown pass from Zac Dixon to Dane Boente on fourth down. Crouch added the point-after touchdown kick and CHS led 7-0 with 4:28 left in the first half.

That TD seemed to awaken the Comets as they answered quickly with a four-play 73-yard drive that took just over a minute to complete. Eaton connected with Brad Perry on a 36- yard pass play to move the ball to the CHS 37. Andrew Maurer caught a 14-yard pass from Eaton and senior running back Brian Doll followed with a 10-yard run to the 13. Doll finished the drive with a 13-yard run through the defense to cut the lead to 7-6 with 3:23 left in the first half. On the attempt for the conversion kick, a bad snap forced Greenville to pass the ball, and it fell incomplete, leaving Carlinville with a 1-point lead.

On the ensuing drive, Carlinville moved the football right back into Greenville territory. Josh Carnduff gained 14 yards on a sweep to the left, Scott picked up 8 yards on a run up the middle, and Rives gained 14 yards on a run to the right to set up a first down at the GHS 25-yard line. Scott got back-to-back carries to set up a second-and-3 at the Greenville 7 as time was winding down. Rives gained a yard to the 6, but the Comets’ defense again came up with a clutch stop as Carnduff was caught in the backfield for a 4-yard loss. With no timeouts, facing a fourth down at the 10 with the clock running, Dixon’s pass was incomplete and Carlinville turned it over on downs with 5.2 seconds left before the break.

“The first time we were down there, we got backed up and unfortunately came away with no points,” Easterday said. “The second time, we had used all of our timeouts. We probably should have thrown the ball on third down, but we ended up running it and then had to scramble on fourth down to get the play off.”

When asked if he considered bringing the field goal team on, Easterday said they had decided to go for the touchdown. “The coaching staff made the decision that instead of kicking the field goal, we were going to get the ball to start the second half; we just felt like we could go for the touchdown at that point in the game, and if we didn’t get it, it wasn’t going to be the end of the world. That was a great opportunity to take a gamble and we did. It just didn’t pay off for us.”

The third quarter was much like the first half. Carlinville got the second half kickoff and promptly marched the ball to the Comets’ 36-yard line following a nifty 14-yard gain by Rives. But the drive stalled. A holding penalty on third down pushed the Cavaliers back 10 yards to the 48. After an incomplete pass, CHS was forced to punt.

After a 41-yard punt that was downed at the GHS 7, Greenville drove to the Carlinville 21-yard line. After a holding penalty on the Comets, Eaton completed a screen pass to Doll who was hit and stripped of the ball at the 26. Carnduff recovered for the Cavaliers with 5:20 left in the third quarter.

Carlinville was unable to move the ball as they were forced on a three-andout. Dixon nailed a 46-yard punt that put the guests on their 26. Greenville, which runs the spread offense, showed why they are so explosive on offense. Eaton completed passes of 10 yards to Perry and 28 yards to Michael Cripe, setting up a first down at the CHS 12. On second-and-9, Eaton rolled to his left and got outside as he scampered 11 yards for the score to give the Comets their first lead of the game at 12-7 with 1:20 left in the third quarter. Greenville attempted the 2-point conversion, but the pass was incomplete.

The Cavies tried to answer. Starting at their 27, Carnduff went around the left end for 21 yards and a first down at the CHS 48. After a 7-yard run by Rives, Carlinville faced a third-and-5 at the Comet’s 47. Dixon dropped back to pass. His throw over the middle of the field was intercepted by Cripe, who returned it 26 yards to give GHS a first down at the Carlinville 45. On the next play, the Comets went deep as Eaton connected with Dannon Young on a 45-yard pass play. Blake Tebbe added the PAT kick and the Comets led 19-7 with 11:39 left in the game.

“We saw an opportunity and thoughtmaybe we could get Zac [Dixon] rolled out a little bit,” Easterday said of the interception. “I think the ball just came off his hand bad, and he threw off his back foot. We didn’t quite get the end pinned like we wanted to and we were really trying to give Zac a two-way go and thought maybe he could get the first down.”

While Carlinville still had plenty of time to get back in the game, momentum had swung. The ensuing kickoff was bobbled and the Cavaliers had to start on their 14. An illegal substitution penalty (too many players on the field) was called and pushed CHS back to the 9. Dixon got 8 yards back and Carnduff gained 4 more, but the Cavies once again had to punt.

Dixon, whose previous nine punts had not been returned, hit a 34-yarder fielded by Greenville’s Andrew Childerson. He returned it 32 yards to give the Comets a first down at the CHS 23. Three plays later, Eaton scored his second TD on an 11-yard run. The PAT was blocked, but Greenville led 25-7 with 8:41 left. In less than 5 minutes, the Comets had scored 19 unanswered points to virtually seal the victory.

The Comets added their final score on a 5-yard run by Doll with 4:00 remaining to improve to 3-0 overall and in the conference. Eaton had an impressive performance as he completed 21-of-26 passes for 271 yards with one touchdown passing while rushing for 76 yards on 13 carries with two TDs rushing. Young had eight catches for 111 yards and Perry had six receptions for 84 yards. Both Young and Perry are sophomores.

“We had some trouble getting Greenville stopped,” Easterday said. “The first week we struggled tackling; last week, I thought we tackled really well, and then we kind of reverted back to that first week in the fourth quarter. We tackled really well for three quarters. They wore on us and that’s a credit to them. They do a nice job on offense.”

Carlinville finished with 295 yards of total offense with 277 yards coming on the ground. Rives had 17 carries for 103 yards and Scott picked up 101 on 19 rushes. Carnduff gained 48 yards on six carries.

The Cavaliers will travel to Pana this week to face an undefeated team, playing with a high level of confidence after beating East Alton-Wood River 45-0 this past week.

“From just watching a little bit of Pana on film, they are very athletic – they’re huge, and when you look at us, we’re not,” Easterday said. “It’ll be speed against size. We’ll definitely try to take advantage of our speed."

“We’re almost back to full strength and hopefully we’ll begin to gel. We’ve had several changes the first three weeks, so hopefully we’ll settle in here and start a run toward the playoffs like we’ve done the past two years,” he said.

The first few minutes of Carlinville High School’s football game Sept. 4 against Vandalia High School didn’t go exactly the way the Cavaliers had planned. Vandalia scored on the second play from scrimmage, and CHS followed by turning the ball over on their first drive. However, the Cavaliers shook off their rough start and rolled past the Vandals 41-19 in a South Central Conference game.

Vandalia quarterback Marty Johnson kept the ball on a midline option and suddenly was in the open as he ran 78 yards, 53 seconds into the game. Marcus Mosley added the point-after-touchdown kick and the Vandals led 7-0.

On the Cavaliers’ first possession, Darnell Scott got the carry on second down and gained 3 yards before the ball popped out and Vandalia recovered on the Carlinville 39-yard line. An estimated 1,610 fans at the newly renovated CHS athletic field sat in stunned silence.

Vandalia drove the ball inside the Carlinville 10 to the 5-yard line. On third-and-goal, Carlinville’s Darnell Scott wrapped up Cory Bunker for a 1-yard loss, forcing the Vandals to attempt a short field goal. On the first attempt, VHS was flagged for a procedure penalty. After moving the ball back 5 yards, Mosley attempted a 29-yard field goal that was wide left as the CHS defense held.

“I think it was gut-check time,” Carlinville head coach Chad Easterday said. “It took us a couple of series. They [Vandalia] did some things defensively really nice. They had us figured out, too.

“I’ve had the great pleasure of working with some great coaches in my past,” he added. “They\ taught me a lot of things, like to stay with what works and don’t panic. Our coaching staff has taught that to the kids and our kids believe that. We didn’t panic. We gave up 7 quick points, but we weathered the storm.”

The Cavaliers’ ensuing drive resulted in a three-and-out, but Zac Dixon’s 40-yard punt was fumbled by Vandalia and Scott recovered at the guests’ 46. Carlinville was unable to take advantage of the miscue, however, as CHS was again stopped. After a 38-yard punt resulted in a touchback, Vandalia got the ball on their 20-yard line. On second-and-6, fullback Drew Stewart coughed up the football and Alec Boente recovered for CHS on the Vandalia 23.

This time CHS cashed in on the turnover. After Scott picked up 5 yards to the 18, Dixon kept the football and rambled 18 yards for the score. Shawn Crouch added the PAT to tie the game 7-7 with 1 minute, 12 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Cavies’ defense kept the pressure on, as Vandalia got the football on the Carlinville 49 after a 40-yard kickoff return by Bunker. Carlinville’s Josh Carnduff intercepted Johnson’s pass attempt and returned it 30 yards to set up a first down at the VHS 40. Carlinville moved the ball all the way to the Vandals’ 18, but a personal foul penalty and a 5-yard loss on a pass play forced the Cavaliers to once again punt the ball. This time Dixon hit a beauty as he put it out of bounds at the 12-yard line. Vandalia moved the ball out to the 26, but Stewart lost the handle again as he crossed the 30 and Eddie Ray of CHS fell on the ball at the guests’ 34-yard line. Two plays later, Josh Rives took the carry and swept around the right side for a 24- yard TD run to put the Cavies up 14-7 with 6:54 left in the half.

The game quickly became a shootout as Vandalia answered 58 seconds later on a 72-yard pass play from Johnson to Bunker. The PAT kick was wide left and Carlinville held a narrow 14-13 lead with 5:56 remaining in the quarter.

Carlinville put together an 8-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Dixon scoring his second TD of the game on a 10-yard run to put the hosts up 21-13 with 2:31 left in the half. Rives had key runs of 30, 10, and 18 yards on the drive.

The Vandals weren’t finished, however, as their 2-minute offense turned the trick with a nine-play scoring drive. Johnson and Bunker hooked up again, this time on a 7-yard pass play with 34 seconds left before the break. A pass attempt for the 2-point conversion failed and CHS held a slim 21-19 halftime lead.

Vandalia had a solid offensive performance in the first half as the Vandals racked up 294 yards of total offense including 178 yards via the pass. But turnovers plagued the guests as they had three lost fumbles and an interception.

Carlinville made some defensive adjustments at halftime and looked like a new team in the second half, holding the guests to just 86 yards in the second half. “I give all of the credit to our kids,” Easterday said. “I thought they took the adjustments at halftime and put them on the field. I thought our coaching staff did a wonderful job at halftime of making some adjustments – some tweaks in it – and then those kids did a great job applying it on the field. A lot of that has to with our senior leadership.”

The Cavaliers got off to a good second-half start as Boente recovered a high, short kickoff at the CHS 42. It took 11 plays and 5 minutes to move the ball 58 yards to paydirt with Dixon scoring his third TD of the game on an 11-yard run. Crouch added his fourth consecutive PAT to make it 28-19.

The CHS defense followed with a three-and-out as Vandalia punted the ball for the first time in the game. Daniel Bell’s 33-yard punt put Carlinville at their 36. Scott gained 30 yards to set up a first down at the VHS 34. Scott got two more carries for 7 yards before Rives broke loose for an 11-yard run to the 16. Two plays later, Dixon found Trevor Rhodus in the end zone for a 16-yard TD pass. The PAT kick was blocked, but the Cavies led 34-19 with 2:45 left in the third quarter.

Vandalia’s fifth turnover of the game came on the ensuing drive. A pass play from Johnson to Matt Hoffman would have been close to a first down near midfield, but Hoffman was hit and the ball was knocked loose, as Brent Fish recovered for Carlinville.

The CHS offense went back to work putting together an eight-play, 52-yard drive. On fourth-and-5 from the Vandalia 16, Dixon and Rhodus hooked up as Dixon fired the ball into the arms of a diving Rhodus for a 16- yard TD making it 41-19 after Crouch’s kick with 10:57 left in the game.

“I was really happy to see us play four quarters tonight,” Easterday added. “We were a little bit lacking that last week. We really showed up tonight with that intensity level for four quarters which we didn’t have last week.”

Carlinville had several outstanding individual performances. Dixon rushed for three TDs and threw for two more. Rives gained 171 yards on 23 carries and Scott had 100 yards on 20 carries. Carlinville had 361 yards of total offense, including 323 yards on the ground. Carlinville had 21 first downs.

“We were able to come back and really accelerate in the second half,” Easterday said. “I thought the play of our offensive line was just overwhelming at times. We were moving people off the ball. Darnell Scott had a great game blocking. “A kid that didn’t get any credit tonight is Josh Carnduff. We flipped him in formations, and he blocked for us all night long and did a great job,” he added. “Zac Dixon threw a couple of strikes in some key situations, too – under pressure. It was a great, great team effort. That’s what we talked about after the game.”

The Cavaliers will host Greenville tomorrow (Friday) night at 7 p.m. at the CHS field. The Comets are 2-0 after beating Southwestern 28-14 this past week. Carlinville leads the all-time series 11-5, but the Comets have won the last three, including two wins over the Cavaliers last year. Greenville defeated CHS 35-3 in the opening round of the Class 3A playoffs at Highland last year.

By Tim Tarter

Macoupin County Enquirer~Democrat

In recent years, Carlinville and Marquette Catholic have played some very meaningful conference games in late October. Two years ago, CHS won 21-13 in Alton to capture the SCC title outright. Last year, Marquette gained a measure of revenge as the Explorers held on for a 13-12 win in Carlinville to share the final SCC West title with Carlinville and Southwestern. With a newly revamped one-division South Central Conference, the meeting between the two rivals was moved to week one, but with both teams having expectations of challenging for the SCC title, this year’s game turned into an early season showdown at Public School Stadium in Alton.

The two teams didn’t disappoint. Both Carlinville and Marquette played inspired football before a large Friday night crowd that was geared up for the start of football season. When the dust had settled, Marquette scored twice in the fourth quarter to score a 34-21 victory as sophomore quarterback Dalton Halm, subbing for injured senior Keenan Eberlin, stole the show by rushing for 152 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Explorers to victory.

The Cavaliers struck first on a pleasant, but rather muggy evening. Marquette received the opening kickoff and drove inside the Carlinville 10. On fourth-and-five from the nine yard line, Cecil Brimmage was stopped short of the first down and tried his best to stretch toward the first down. But he lost the football and Mike Archibald recovered for the Cavaliers at the two yard line.

The Carlinville offense wasted little time. Josh Rives had a pair of carries to move the ball to the 10 and Darnell Scott picked up two yards to the 12 to give the Cavies a first down. Quarterback Zac Dixon then rolled to his right and found Nick Williams all alone in the flat near the 25 and Williams took it to the house for an 88 yard TD to put CHS in front 7-0 after Shawn Crouch added the point-after-touchdown catch with 6:50 left in the opening quarter.

“It was something we saw on the film,” Carlinville head coach Chad Easterday said of the surprise air attack. “Zac did a great job and laid the ball out there. I believe he had his choice – he could have thrown the ball to Brendan Stewart or Williams – both were wide open.”

Marquette bounced right back putting together an eight-play, 65-yard drive capped by a four yard TD run by Travis Jones. Freshman kicker Brogan Fischer added the PAT to tie the score 7-7 with 3:18 left in the first period.

The Explorers defense forced Carlinville on a three-and-out and following a 28-yard punt by Dixon, the hosts had excellent field position at the CHS 48-yard line. It took five plays as Halm made his presence felt by capping the drive with two excellent runs. Halm, running the triple option offense for Marquette in his first varsity start, gained nine yards to pick up a first down at the 23 on the final play of the first quarter. He then scrambled through the CHS defense breaking several tackles on a 23 yard scamper to put the Explorers up 14-7 with 11:51 left in the quarter.

Carlinville’s special teams came up with a big play midway through the second quarter. Trevor Rhodus and Riley Breuggeman combined to sack Halm for a 14-yard loss, but Brimmage answered with a 16 yard run. Marquette faced a fourth-and-eight at their own 45 and ran a fake punt. Running back Steve Oettle was stopped by a host of Cavaliers at the 50 as the Explorers turned it over on downs, three yards short of the first down.

The Cavaliers offense responded with an 11-play 50-yard drive to tie the game with :36.8 left in the half. Darnell Scott was a workhorse getting 7 carries on the drive for 40 yards. With no timeouts and just 45 seconds left, Dixon lofted a perfect pass to the left back corner of the end zone. Rhodus, a tight end, timed his jump perfectly and landed just in bounds. Crouch added the PAT to tie the game 14-14.

“That was a nice catch going into the half,” Easterday said. “We had no timeouts and the kids did a nice job of hustling on the field. It was a good play.”

Carlinville regained the lead in the third quarter. After Dixon’s 40-yard punt pinned Marquette at their own 23, Eddie Ray knocked the ball loose from Halm and Andy Denby recovered the fumble at the Marquette 31-yard line. It took 6 plays for CHS to hit paydirt. Scott got the first three carries to give the Cavies a first down at the 20, and Rives finished the drive with three carries including a 6 yard TD run to make it 21-14 following the PAT with 7:07 left in the period.

The Explorers answered in a hurry. It took less than a minute for the hosts to finish a three-play 70-yard drive. Oettle broke loose for a 37 yard gain to the CHS 33. Halm ran the option to the left and at the last minute made a perfect pitch to Brimmage. Brimmage fumbled the ball inside the 20, but MHS recovered the ball on the 18 to keep possession. Halm followed with an 18 yard run that tied the game at 21-21 following the PAT kick with 6:09 left in the third quarter.

After stopping CHS on a three-and-out, Marquette put together an impressive 14-play, 72-yard drive that ended with a two yard run by Oettle that gave the Explorers the lead back 28-21 following Fischer’s fourth consecutive PAT with 9:12 left in the fourth quarter. The drive took 6:18 off the clock and you could sense the Carlinville defense was starting to wear down just a little bit.

Carlinville tried to answer. After the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, the Cavies took the ball on the 35. Rives gained 12 to pick up a first down at the 47. Dixon had a solid six yard gain to the MHS 47 and Scott gained six more to set up a first and ten at the 41 yard line of Marquette. That’s when disaster struck. Dixon was blindsied at the 45 and knocked to the turf. The ball was knocked loose and recovered by Mark Harrison. It was ruled a fumble and MHS was awarded the football with 7:36 left in the game.

The Explorers moved the ball to the Carlinville 12-yard line. Facing a third-and-eight at the ten, Brimmage got the carry and was hit hard knocking the ball loose and into mid air. However, a whistle blew and the play was ruled dead with no fumble.

In reference to the non-fumble by Marquette, Easterday was philosophical. “We weren’t out there and that’s the game of football. That’s why you play it on Friday night. It just didn’t fall our way tonight,” he said.

The Cavies still had life however after Jones was wrapped up for a one yard loss leaving MHS facing a fourth-and-nine. The Explorers lined up for what appeared to be a 28-yard field goal attempt by Fischer. Marquette instead ran a fake and Halm once again eluded tacklers before being driven out of bounds at the one-yard line. It was good enough for a first down and Marquette sealed the Cavaliers fate two downs later when Halm scored on a two yard run. The extra point kick was blocked, but the hosts led 34-21 with 1:58 to play.

Will Hart intercepted a tipped pass with 45 seconds left after CHS had moved the ball out to the 41. The Explorers took two knees to officially end the contest and improve to 1-0 overall and 1-0 in the conference.

“As a coaching staff, we agreed that there were too many two way players,” Easterday said following the game. “As the game wore on, we tired a little bit and lost a little bit of our punch. We had fewer offensive possessions in the second half and our defense was just on the field too much and we couldn’t capitalize.”

Marquette outgained the Cavaliers with 400 total yards to 286 yards in the game. At halftime, CHS actually led in total yard 187-177. But the triple option attack of the Explorers rolled up 394 yards on the ground. MHS completed just one pass in the game.

Carlinville was also hurt by penalties as CHS was whistled for 12 penalties for 78 yards. MHS had 5 penalties for 25 yards.

“We a few motion penalties, people not getting set,” Easterday said. “We had a few kids maybe a little bit out of position tonight. It is something we need to work on as the season goes on.”

The Cavies had plenty of positive to take from the game. Dixon completed three of four passes for 110 yards with two touchdowns in the first half. Scott rushed for 104 yards on 21 carries and Rives picked up 67 yards on 12 carries. Carlinville had 176 yards rushing in the game.

“I was very, very pleased tonight,” said Easterday. “We had seven two-way players and only one kid removed for a cramp. That says a lot about our team’s heart, our conditioning. It’s a stepping stone. The barometer of your season is not judged on week one. It’s a catalyst, but it’s not the judgment of your whole season. We’ve proven that in the past.”

“We did a great job throwing the ball tonight,” Easterday added. “Our offensive line I felt really did some good things. We moved the football – we stuck the ball left and we stuck the ball left, we ran the same play nine times in a row and scored a touchdown. To me, that’s a big positive because our offensive line was a big question mark coming into the season.”

The Cavaliers offensive line consisted of Andy Riech at left tackle and Brent Fish at left guard, Denby at center, Brandon Bucker at right guard, Nathaniel Stolte at right tackle, and Rhodus at tight end. Riech was selected as the Carlinville Football Club “Lineman of the Week.”

Carlinville also got an excellent game from their kicking duo of Shawn Crouch, who handled kicking duties and Dixon, who did the punting.

“His stats may not show it, but Shawn did a tremendous job at kickoff,” Easterday said. “I thought he put the ball in great spots – he never varied from the game plan – I thought he did a great job. Our punting style was a little unorthodox – we rugby punted and Zac stepped up and had two or three great punts. It’s very different looking, but he did a good job too.”

CHS will get a chance to open their newly renovated facilities tomorrow (Friday) night when they host Vandalia at 7 p.m. New lights, a new press box, and new bleachers make the Carlinville Athletic Field one of the nicer venues in the area. It should be a real treat for the 2009 Cavaliers to get the opportunity to inaugurate the new facility.

By Tim Tarter
Macoupin County Enquirer~Democrat

The Carlinville High School Cavaliers will feature one gear and that is fast. Led by track sprinters Josh Rives, Darnell Scott and Bobby Simmons, this year’s team should pick up yards in bunches and in a hurry.

Head coach Chad Easterday, in his second season at CHS, welcomes back seven starters on both offense and defense as they prepare to open the season tomorrow (Friday) at 7 p.m. at Public School Stadium in Alton against Marquette Catholic. That’s a huge difference from a year ago when only three players with any varsity experience took the field for the season opener.

“It’s a big difference in terms of having a year of preparation,” Easterday said. “Continuity has been there from day one with our coaching staff, but having a full year to prepare versus three-and-a-half months is mentally much better.”

Carlinville finished 4-6 in 2008, but shared the final South Central Conference West Division championship with Southwestern and Marquette Catholic. The Cavaliers qualified for the Class 3A playoffs as the conference representative. Carlinville won the title outright in 2007.

The football tradition at CHS, which includes 548 wins all-time (19th in the state), 27 South Central Conference titles, 23 IHSA State playoff appearances and Class 2A State runner-up finishes in 1978 and 1993, is not lost by Easterday, who hopes to continue the program’s winning ways. “It’s a Carlinville tradition, and I’m just really happy to be part of that,” Easterday said. “I want to make sure that we keep that tradition alive.”

Easterday said one thing they hope to do differently in 2009 is to mix up their offensive attack a little bit. “We had a great offensive attack last year,” said Easterday. “One of our major weaknesses was trying to throw the football. We seem to be able to do that this year so far. Our goal is to hit some of those high percentage passes and expand on our passing game.”

The Achille’s heel of last year’s team was turnovers. The Cavies were on the downside of the plus-minus ratio for giveaways versus takeaways and Easterday hopes a more experienced bunch will be able to turn those numbers around this year. “Ball security was an issue for us last year. Hopefully, maturity in our backfield will change that.”

The Cavaliers lost some key linemen with the graduation of Travis Edwards, Dylan Kiehna and Will Thyer, all three-year starters. But CHS returns all their skill players from a year ago, and Easterday is thrilled with that aspect of his team.

“That’s a luxury for sure. There are not too many coaches around the state who can say they return all of their starters as far as the backfield,” Easterday said. “Having those weapons in the backfield with a year of experience and their speed is something that is tough for our opponents to prepare for. We’re looking forward to seeing that and, hopefully, they can produce.”

Rives led the way last season with 963 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns. Scott added 700 yards on the ground with four TDs and Simmons gained 439 yards and had five TDs. Rives and Scott are both seniors, while Simmons is a junior.

Senior Quarterback Zac Dixon returns after passing for 312 yards with 6 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 22-59 passes. Dixon also gained 208 yards on the ground with three TDs.

Dixon’s top receiver was senior tight end Trevor Rhodus. Rhodus caught five passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. Alec Boente had four receptions for 45 yards with two TDs and Josh Carnduff had three catches for 20 yards. Both players are juniors.

“Carnduff returns, which is a big plus for us along with senior Mike Archibald,” Easterday said. “Trevor Rhodus, who did a great job blocking for us last year, is back at tight end. Freshman Brendan Stewart may also see a little time for us at receiver and junior Nick Williams will see time for us at both running back and receiver – kind of a multipurpose guy.”

The development of the offensive line is crucial to the success of any team, and Easterday says that is coming along well.

“Brent Fish has stepped up and made the transition from fullback to the offensive line and has done a really, really good job,” said Easterday. “Brandon Bucker, who saw time in rotation last year, looks good, and Andy Denby is moving from receiver to center and he has done a nice job so far. Brady Fish and Zach Etter may see some time, and Nathaniel Stolte and Andy Riech are both coming on strong.”

Easterday plans to rotate several players on the offensive line early in the season. Denby, a senior, will be at center. Tackles include seniors Cody Stewart, Riley Brueggeman, and Stolte; Riech, a junior; and Etter, a sophomore. Guards will include juniors Brent Fish, Quantrel Williams, and Buckner.

The Cavaliers kicking game is also loaded with experience as senior Shawn Crouch returns along with Scott, who will share punting duties. Crouch is a full-time member of the CHS soccer team.

“Shawn did a great job kicking and punting. Good kickers are hard to come by, and he does a good job with it.”

The Cavaliers will employ a 4-4 defense again this year according to Easterday. “We lost a few, just like the offensive line, up front, so our defense will have a little different look as we try to utilize our speed,” Easterday said. “We’re a multi-front defense. We’re going to try to show as many looks as we can without really being too complicated and try to utilize Eddie (Ray) and Quan's (Williams) speed.”

Q. Williams, Riech, Buckner, Stolte, Brueggeman, and Scott will all see time on the defensive line. CHS has a solid, experienced linebacking corp. Dixon and Rhodus will be the outside linebackers, with Ray, a senior, and C. Stewart the inside linebackers. The defensive backs all return as well and include Boente, Carnduff, Simmons, N. Williams, and Archibald.

Carlinville has 38 players on the varsity roster with 23 freshmen in the program. It’s a number that has been consistent over the past four or five years for football at CHS.

“Our enrollment has dropped just a little bit over time. We’re really happy to get over 60 players out for football. We’d like to have around 45 at the varsity level and with 23 freshmen, we may be headed back that direction.”

Coach Easterday’s coaching staff is virtually the same as a year ago. Ken Garrison, Bob Flowers, and Bill Duncan will coach the frosh squad, while Scott Harris and Alan Cooper will handle the JV team. Easterday and Steiner will handle the primary varsity coaching duties, but pretty much the entire staff helps on Friday nights. John Reels also returns to the football staff this year as a volunteer assistant.

“John stepped in as a volunteer, and he’s been helping in practice and will help on Friday night with the headset up top. Coach Garrison helps out on all three levels. Coach Duncan and Coach Flowers go scout for me every Friday night - that’s kind of a behind-the-scenes thing that no one really knows about.”

The Cavaliers were picked second behind Greenville in the preseason coach’s poll, and Easterday says that after winning back-to-back titles in the SCC West, their goal is to be a contender for that top spot in the South Central Conference.

“Our goal is to be a contender in the conference,” Easterday said. “We talk about that everyday. Other than that, we want to make the playoffs. I think that is definitely in our grasps to do. Personally speaking, I have very high expectations. You have to have those high expectations because we return a lot of skill kids, and I think they need to know that the expectation level is high for them. We’re going to try to put our best foot forward and see what happens.”

Easterday feels Greenville is the team to beat in the conference. The Cavaliers host the Comets week three.

“You have to put Greenville up there. The last four years they’ve been just a forerunner in the conference. Marquette is very similar to us in that they bring back a lot of skill kids. Then you throw in Hillsboro, Litchfield, Vandalia and Southwestern. That middle three to six you can shake in a hat and go from there. We’re in that boat too. If things go our way, you could see us at the top of the list. If not, we’ll be battling for the middle of that list.”

One thing Easterday wants to see is a better start than the past two years. The Cavaliers started 0-3 in both 2007 and 2008 before battling back.

“The last two years we’ve gotten off to a bad start. We want to get out of the gate a little faster.”