NORMAL -- As Crete-Monee High School football coach Jerry Verde addressed his team following Saturday's Class 6A playoff game, a sneak attack led to him being doused with ice water.
For the first time since the second-half kickoff, someone in Warrior blue and gold was caught off guard.
Trailing 10-7 at the half, third-seeded Crete-Monee used a dominating second half to defeat No. 11 seed Normal Community, 35-10, in a second-round game. The Warriors (10-1) advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time and will play at top-ranked Providence (10-1) next week.
Crete-Monee put together 80- and 94-yard scoring drives on its first two second-half possessions, limiting NCHS (8-3) to three plays and minus-one yard in the third quarter.
"We knew the first drive (of the second half) was going to be important, and they just came right at us," NCHS coach Wes Temples said. "You have to give them credit. They did what they had to do, if it was run or pass or whatever. They were the better team."
Cortez Scott (18 carries, 96 yards) scored on a 15-yard run to end the Warriors' 10-play, 80-yard drive. Jack Mykytiuk's extra-point kick made it 14-10 with 7:47 left in the third quarter.
After forcing a three-and-out, Crete-Monee used 15 plays to go 94 yards, capped by Greg Barksdale's 4-yard run a minute into the fourth quarter. The Warriors led 21-10 and scored two more late touchdowns after Ironmen fumbles.
"They did a couple of things we hadn't seen on film (in the first half)," Verde said. "We adjusted to that and our kids are pretty darn intelligent players. They did a nice job with the adjustments."
The Ironmen took the lead late in the first half. A Brett Anderson recovery of a Scott fumble led to a 36-yard Caleb Steffens field goal, giving NCHS its 10-7 lead.
Crete-Monee then drove from its own 19 to the Ironmen 4, but on fourth-and-2 with less than 20 seconds left, NCHS linebacker Taylor Lierman intercepted a Justin Roudez pass in the end zone.
"We thought we had all the momentum on our side (at halftime)," Lierman said. "They came out and we just couldn't get a stop. They just kept pounding their way through."
The Warriors ran for 146 yards and Roudez threw for 77 in the second half. Crete-Monee finished with 388 total yards (234 rushing, 154 passing) while holding NCHS to 85.
The Ironmen netted only eight yards in the second half and finished with 75 yards on the ground, 31 fewer than Crete-Monee's Julius Spicer (17 carries, 106 yards, two touchdowns).
"I think they turned up the intensity," NCHS quarterback Tre Jones said. "We also didn't take advantage of opportunities when we had them. They put a couple of drives together, and when it comes down to it, they just beat us."
Barksdale scored late in the first quarter on a 2-yard run. The Ironmen tied it on the first play of the second quarter when tailback Travis Mullen (13 carries, 33 yards) scored on a 3-yard run.
"It's been a good year," Temples said. "Coming in we had a ton of holes to fill and we were undersized. This group of seniors was awesome."