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Blue Thunder rely on the big play to remain undefeated
The Belvidere North Blue Thunder kept the storm rolling as they earned their fourth win in as many weeks of the 2024 High School football season. After a 27-12 road victory over Rockford East in week three, North returned home to host Boylan Catholic in week four.
Boylan also entered the matchup with a zero in the loss column, however. Back in week two, the Titans beat Rockford East by a score of 25-6. They went on to beat Jefferson 20-14 in week three, setting things up for a battle of the undefeated teams in week four.
Early on, it was Boylan who had the momentum. The Titans were the first on the scoreboard with a touchdown pass in the first quarter. North responded with a long drive of their own, which led them deep into the redzone. It was all for naught, however, as a fumble allowed Boylan to take over at their own seven.
The North defense made a stand to force a Boylan punt, and the ball was quickly back in the Blue Thunder’s possession. It wasn’t long before Ben Bucher was long gone up the left sideline for a 60-yard touchdown run, putting North on the board.
Midway through the second, North managed to find success in the red zone. After getting all the way down to the goal line, North kept things simple. A quick handoff led to a one-yard touchdown run, putting North up 14-7.
Later on, North made Boylan pay for their own mistakes. After a high snap went over the Boylan quarterback’s head, North recovered the ball. That set the Thunder up for a two-score lead, and Nicolas Tapia made it happen. Tapia found Nathan Alexander for a jump ball opportunity in the middle of the end zone. Alexander brought it down, and North took a 20-7 lead.
The 13-point advantage would hold through the halftime break.
In the third, it was North who put up the first points of the second half. The points came by way of another big play, which proved to be the difference in this one. Erick Roman got loose up the left sideline as he scampered his way to paydirt on a 46-yard run.
Eventually, North worked their way up to a 34-7 advantage over Boylan. The Titans struggled to get anything going until garbage time had already kicked in. A couple of fourth quarter touchdowns made the final score look closer than the game truly was.
In the end, the Blue Thunder captured a 34-20 victory over Boylan to improve to 4-0 on the year. This week, North will look to avoid falling victim to the trap game as they play host to the 0-4 Jefferson J-Hawks on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m.
