Indians hold ground ready for Titan battle

By Chris Johnson
REPORTER
There is no doubt that this Friday night’s showdown between the Hononegah Indians and the Rockford Boylan Titans will be the game of the year.
Courtesy of a 42-26 win over hard-charging Rockford East on Friday, Sept. 20, the Indians locked down their fourth win of the season. It puts them one game away from being playoff eligible. Six wins guarantees it, but that will have to wait.
The E-Rabs put on an impressive early effort in the Friday night, week four match against the NIC-10 leaders. They would not let the visiting Indians gain solid footing. Hononegah could not run away with things early and was shut out after one.
East didn’t wait for their guests to get comfortable. They forged their own assault in the first few minutes and took the early edge. The 6-0 lead was in place after one.
Adjustments are often a part of a successful football program’s playbook. When a team has proven success, even in the most daunting situations, getting in gear becomes second nature.
Hononegah ran down East as the second quarter began. Large yardage gains became a welcome addition for the offense. The skies began to accumulate traffic as the game progressed.
The extra offensive effort opened up many opportunities for the Indians in the period. With 8:52 to go in the second, senior Christian Gomez powered it in from one away. The extra point run by Bryce Goodwine gave Hononegah control. They grabbed the 8-6 advantage and would not release it.
Gomez scored again minutes later. With 6:40 in the period he broke through coverage and rumbled in from 30. Goodwine’s kick pushed the lead to 15-6, making it a two score contest.
The Indians would score once more before the half as junior Dylan Collins collected a seven yard strike. The extra point attempt was off target. The lead remained 21-6 Hononegah, at the break.
Both squads showed what they could do as the second half began. The third quarter saw the two teams combine for 35 points. It became a shoot-out with Payton Mather pinpointing his placements for the Indians..
Kendall Cross collected touchdown strikes of eleven and 34 yards in the third. It helped the Indians maintain control as the E-Rabs battled back with 14 points in the period.
With 21 points allowed in the third, the host E-Rabs found themselves really without much of a chance for a comeback in the final frame. After three Hononegah was in front 42-20.
East performed well enough to collect another six points in the fourth quarter. The effort allowed them to push back towards their early season nearly 30-points per game scoring average. It wouldn’t be enough though, as the hosts fell short of the mark in the 42-26 decision.
Christian Gomez ran the ball 14 times for 110 yards, averaging nearly eight yards per carry for the victorious Indians.
He was supported by Dylan Collins who had 64 yards and one touchdown to his credit. Mather scrambled five times and found himself pressured often by the East line. He ended his night with negative nine rushing yards.
Mason Adams kicked in 32 yards on four carries with Braden Sayles winding down the ground effort with a couple extra yards added.
The ball was shared well by Hononegah receivers in the win. Payton Mather threw for 252 yards on a 13-of-23 effort and registered three more touchdowns on his season total.
Kendall Cross averaged 33 yards per catch in his multi-touchdown effort. Ashton Banker caught two passes for 37 yards with Dylan Collins tallying two for 34.
Gomez had 28 yards receiving with contributions from Sam Whitaker and Mason Adams also etched.
The win moved Hononegah to 4-0 on the season and sets up this Friday’s night home meeting with the NIC-10 co-conference leading Rockford Boylan Titans. It will have major implications on conference designs for many conference familiars.
The Friday night match features two of the five teams that are either tied for the lead or one game back in the highly-competitive NIC-10 conference.