| Saturday, October 14, 2006 7:21 PM CDT |
U High wins on Senior Night
NORMAL -- University High School’s football team forced six turnovers on its way to a 30-14 Corn Belt Conference victory over Eureka on Senior Night Friday at Hancock Stadium.
The Pioneers (3-7) established the running game early, scoring three first-half touchdowns on the ground. Senior quarterback Tyler Cook pushed across two of the scores and finished his final home game with 53 yards.
“We wanted to get off to a fast start tonight,” Cook said. “On Senior Night I wanted to be out on the field as much as could.”
Cook also used his arm to move the ball, completing 9 of 16 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown.
It seemed the U High offensive line shot off the ball and sustained blocks on nearly every rushing play, dominating a tired and turnover-ravaged Eureka defense.
“It’s probably the best we’ve run the ball all year,” U High coach Kurt Olson said. “Our line did a great job. Those guys up front really came together tonight.”
Caleb Katz led the Pioneers with 71 yards on 17 carries. Late in the third quarter, Katz scored on a 3-yard pass from Cook to put the game out of reach.
The night didn’t start off well for U High, as the Pioneers fumbled the ball on their opening drive. Eureka then lit up the scoreboard first with a 65-yard pass from B.J. Zobrist to Dean Eastman. The Hornets missed the extra-point attempt and would not score again until the fourth quarter.
The U High defense did a solid job against the run, but Eureka’s passing attack cut the lead to 16 with more than 10 minutes left in the game. The Hornets gained momentum as the final quarter progressed, but a fumble on the U High 1-yard line ended any hope of salvaging a comeback.
“We had a series of events that I’ve never happen before,” Eureka coach Kurt Garth said. “We’ve just got to keep working and hopefully someday some of the bounces go our way.”
Ely Dopson led the Pioneers’ receiving corps, hauling in five passes for 47 yards.
Eastman caught three balls for Eureka totaling 96 yards and Devin Small came up big with 93 yards on six receptions. Eureka’s Zobrist led all players with 13 tackles, while James Scott and Wes Schmidgall combined for 23 take-downs.
After a close first quarter of play, U High scored three times in the second quarter to head into halftime with 23-6 lead. Penalties hurt both teams as the Pioneers committed nine for 85 yards and the Hornets moved backwards 75 yards on eight flags.
U High finishes its season off on the road next Friday at Mahomet-Seymour and Eureka wraps up its schedule at home.
Get area high school sports scores and statistics at Varsity Sports.
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joseph hamiltin wrote on Oct 18, 2006 7:48 AM:
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