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There Is Only One!
A Game For The Ages In Reaper Nation
Plano Rushes Into Immortality With First IHSA Crown
By Bill Lidinsky
To describe Friday night’s IHSA Class 3A championship football game between Plano and St. Joseph-Ogden as exciting, suspenseful, dramatic etc., would be very much correct. But none of those words by themselves or even linked with one another can truly come close to portraying the real atmosphere on the gridiron that existed at Memorial Stadium in Champaign .
Both the Reapers and the Spartans played like they most certainly belonged to be on the biggest stage in high school football and the University of Illinois couldn’t be prouder to be their host.
In an electric, college like atmosphere, Plano and St. Joseph-Ogden smashed a plethora of IHSA playoff and title game offensive records. And in the end, Reaper Nation came away with a heart pounding 47-42 victory that gave Plano their first state championship of any kind, in any sport.
“There’ve been some pretty special days in my life like when I got married and had my two children. This day will be right up there with them,” said Plano head football coach Jim Green. “Especially being a Plano person and graduating from Plano , it feels just unbelievable.”
Green’s unbelievable feeling came minutes after the Reaper defense had just held the Spartans on four downs for the first time in the second half to close out the championship victory with 54 seconds left to go.
But up until then, there was nothing close to a sure thing for Plano even though it seemed so in the first half.
As has been their trademark in 2006, Plano scored easily on their first drive to open the game. It took only 1:37 seconds for the Reapers to travel 61 yards on four plays that culminated in Jared Ferguson’s 43-yard touchdown run. Kevin Jernigan’s point after kick was good and Plano was up early as usual 7-0.
“The left side of my offensive line has been blocking so well for me all year long and they did it again on the first series tonight and I was off to the races,” Ferguson said.
After Plano ’s defense stuffed St. Joseph-Ogden on their first series, Plano scored again as quarterback Brook Bott hit running back Nick Nasti on a 10-yard touchdown pass at the 5:26 mark of the first quarter. Jernigan’s kick again was true and the Reapers were rollin.
“I’ve been begging Brook to go to me with that play all year because I’ve been so open. He finally did and we were able to jump up on top early,” Nasti said.
But on their next series, the Spartans countered quickly as running back Mark Gones broke a couple of Plano tackles up the middle and rambled 69-yards for the score to cut the Reaper lead to 14-7 at 5:06 of the opening quarter.
Plano then mounted another drive only to be halted when Bott fumbled at the St. Joseph-Ogden 41. The Reapers once again held on defense and the opening period ended with Plano up by seven.
With the Reaper Nation defense showing their usual dominance against the run, Plano added two more scores in the second period courtesy of running back Luis Alvarado’s 10-yard jaunt at 6:03 and again on his 40-yard scamper at 1:06 to give the Reapers a 28-7 bulge just seconds before the half.
But St. Joseph-Ogden quickly realized that their running game was proving ineffective and went to the air. The Spartans tallied a startling touchdown after just four pass plays on a 13-yard throw from quarterback Isaiah Olson to wideout Lukas Graves with 56 seconds left to play in the first half.
The four play 55 yard touchdown drive proved to be a harbinger of things to come as Plano led 28-14 going into the locker room at the half.
“We knew that we were stopping their running game in the first half. And we also knew they’d probably go to the air to start the second half. But we never figured how effective it would be against us,” Green said.
Using a quick three step drop by Olson, St. Joseph-Ogden opened the third period throwing the ball at will on the perplexed Reaper defense. At 8:50 of the period, the Spartans cut the Reaper lead to 28-21 as Olson hit wideout J.C. Ducey with an 11-yard touchdown pass.
With both Ferguson and Bott out due to injury, Plano was reeling and struggling during their next series on offense. But on a third-and-ten from their own 28, backup quarterback Brian Green handed to Nasti who rambled 72-yards for the score to give the Reapers a 35-21 advantage.
“I knew with both Brook and Fergy out at the time, I had to step up and make a play. I busted a couple of tackles and fortunately was able to score,” Nasti said.
But once again the Spartans went to the air and tallied at 4:17 of the third quarter on a three-yard touchdown pass from Olson to tight end Zach Becker to make the score 35-27 before a missed extra point kick. That’s the way the period ended with Plano still up by eight, but the Spartans were lurking.
The St. Joseph-Ogden passing dominance continued in the final period. On their first possession, the Spartans hit pay dirt on a 45-yard halfback option pass from Gones to Graves at 8:54. St. Joseph-Ogden converted on a two-point pass play to tie the score at 35.
“We had a rough night in the second half trying to defend their pass plays,” said Plano cornerback Josh O’Hara. “But we knew we were better than that and we also knew our offense could come back.”
Come back, they did on the very next series with both Ferguson and Bott back in the lineup. On first-and-ten from the Spartans 44, Nasti took Bott’s handoff and rumbled 44-yards up the gut for the score to give Plano s 41-35 advantage with 5:39 to play before Jernigan’s point after kick was blocked.
But once again the Spartans went to the air and took their first lead of the game with 3:09 left to play. After six straight pass plays, Gones trotted in on a four-yard run. After the point after kick, St. Joseph-Ogden had their first lead of the game at 42-41.
“I knew we weren’t going to be denied on our next series. We were running the ball so well all night and despite us giving up the lead. I knew we’d be able to score again,” Bott said.
And score they did, as they had done all night, on the ground. Starting on their own 20, Plano put together their championship drive. It took only six running plays and 1:23 for the Reapers to travel 80 yards for the game clinching score.
Alvarado notched his third and most important touchdown run on a 33-yard bust up the middle to give Plano a 47-42 advantage, one they would never relinquish.
“I can’t tell you how good that touchdown felt. I knew right there we were destined to be champions,” Alvarado said. “Even though our defense struggled in the second half, I just had a feeling we were going to get the job done.”
And when Ben Quintero and Matt Smith sacked Olson on a third-and-four with a minute left, Plano forced Olson to throw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-fifteen and the first championship in Reaper Nation history was recorded.
Bott took a knee several times in the waning seconds and the huge crowd of purple and white that invaded Memorial Stadium came to their feet in support of the new Class 3A Champions.
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” said Plano linebacker and captain Robbie LeMaster. “I had to bite this medal to see if it was real. It’s real gold in my mind. We’re champions and that’s all there is to it.”
Plano put up a staggering 532 yards rushing with Nasti recording 202, Alvarado 175 and Ferguson 129. St. Joseph-Ogden was equally as impressive through the air with 321 yards passing.
But in the end Reaper Nation prevailed as the IHSA Class 3A title holders for the first time in Plano High School history.
“Way back in summer ball we all said we weren’t going to settle for anything less than a championship,” Nasti said. “Even though we came up against a great opponent, we were not going to let this one slip away. We didn’t and the feeling is so indescribable.”
With their place in Plano history firmly in tact, 2006 Reaper Nation football stands proud over this record book battle and have proven why there can only be One.
Records were meant to be Broken
CHARLIE ELLERBROCK
The Times, Ottawa
charliee@mywebtimes.com
(815) 431-4035
CHAMPAIGN — Not that the thrill of the Plano’s first state football
championship will ever wear off, but when reflection sets in on Friday
night’s dramatic come-from-behind win over St. Joe-Ogden, the numbers
the Reapers put up in that effort will likely remain on the IHSA books
for years to come.
The Reapers, by rushing for 532 net yards, not only set a new Class 3A
championship game record, shattering the old mark of 443 set by Byron
against St. Joe-Ogden in 1999, it also set the mark for the most by one
team in any title game, regardless of class. The previous championship
game mark was 500 by Carthage in the 1995 Class 1A finale against
Arcola.
The total also set a new standard for any 3A playoff game, in any round,
since the playoffs began in 1974. The old mark was 511 by Tolono Unity
against Carmi-White County) in the second round of 2004.
Other 3A postseason records set came in total offense with a total of
938. The record of 907 has been set by Lena-Winslow (500) vs. Pearl
City-Eastland (407) in the second round of 2002. It therefore also set
the record for a 3A title game, a mark of 745 by Addison Driscoll (493)
and Robinson (252) in 1991.
Plano’s 563 total yards rushing (before yards lost were subtracted, is
also a record for a 3A playoff game of any round. The old record was 518
by Harrisburg vs. Quincy Notre Dame in the second round of the 1997
playoffs.
The seven rushing touchdowns also ties the IHSA title game record for
all classes, tying the seven by East St. Louis vs. Harvey Thornton in
1989.
Senior back Luis Alvarado also set a new individual 3A title game record
for yards per rush, his 13 caries for 175 yards coming out to 13.5 yards
per try. That beats the old mark of 11.7 (3 for 35), by Stillman
Valley’s Kyle Wills against Wilmington in 2003.
St. Joe-Ogden also set a Class 3A playoff record for any round with 321
yards passing, eclipsing the old mark of 302 set by Pearl City-Eastland
against Lena-Winslow in the second round of 2002. It also set marks for
passes completed with 21 and most passing yards with 321, both set by
Herscher (15 completions, 234 yards) in 1988.
Other records set by the Reapers and St. Joe-Ogden Friday night include:
Most net yards rushing by both teams, Class 3A title game — Plano, 607.
Previous mark: 516, by Addison Driscoll (372) vs. Robinson (134) in
1991.
Most points scored by both teams, Class 3A title game — 89. Previous
mark: 70, by Spring Valley Hall (38) vs. DuQuoin (32) in 1995.
Most yards of total offense by a team, Class 3A title game — Plano, 542.
Previous mark: 525, by Kankakee McNamara (294 rushing, 231 passing) vs.
Stanford Olympia in 1985.
Most rushing touchdowns by a team, Class 3A title game — Plano, 7
(distances of 43, 10, 10, 40, 72, 44, 33). Previous mark: 5, by Kankakee
McNamara in 1987 (4, 68, 6, 1, 3), by Addison Driscoll in 1991 (64, 12,
64, 1, 16), and by Spring Valley Hall in 1995 (5, 1, 17, 1, 1).
Most first downs by one team, Class 3A title game — Plano, 26. Previous
mark: 24, by Kankakee McNamara in 1985.
Most first downs by both teams, Class 3A title game — 42. Previous mark:
39, by DuQuoin (21) vs. Herscher (18) in 1988.
Most first downs rushing by a team, Class 3A title game — Plano, 26.
Previous mark: 18, by Geneseo in 1976, by DuQuoin in 1988, and by
Belleville Althoff in 1990.
Most touchdowns by one team, Class 3A title game — Plano, 7 (tie).
Previous mark: 7, by Pontiac in 1993.
Editors note: All records quotes are as listed on the IHSA website.
St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans vs. Plano Reapers
3A State Championship Game
Game Time: 7 p.m. Friday at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL.
Records: St. Joseph-Ogden 13-0 (9-0, 1 st Sangamon Valley)
Plano 13-0 (5-0, 1 st I-8 Small)
Players to Watch: St. Joseph-Ogden, Mark Gones, RB, led Spartans in 06 with 1,715 yards rushing and 33 touchdowns.
Plano, Nick Nasti, RB, 1,681 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns.
Judgment Day In Reaper Nation
Plano Shoots For First State Football Title
By Bill Lidinsky
For 370 days, the Plano High School varsity football team has pointed to this day.
Since the loss at Tolono Unity back on Nov. 19, 2005 in the IHSA Class 3A semifinals, all of Reaper Nation has been on a mission. It’s been the burning desire for Plano to get to the elusive 2006 title game and prove emphatically that they are the best team in all of Illinois 3A football.
So far the Reapers have shown just that laying waste to Amboy in the quarterfinals 49-0 on Nov. 11 and thoroughly demoralizing 2005 defending 3A champion Bureau Valley 49-7 on Nov. 18 in the semi’s.
On Friday Plano (13-0) goes toe to toe with St. Joseph-Ogden (13-0) for the championship at 7 p.m. on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign. The game will be played on the turf at the prestigious Memorial Stadium.
The Spartans hail from central Illinois and are a consolidated school that comprise the towns of St. Joseph, Ogden, Royal, and Flatville.
The school of 484 students is located in St. Joseph, just 10 miles east of Champaign, so the Spartans have a very short trip on game day.
“We’ve been pointing toward this for the last few years now,” said St. Joseph-Ogden head football coach Dick Duval. “We last played for the championship back in 1999. We’ve had some great teams since then that were more talented than this years team. But somehow this 06 squad has found a way to win each and every week.”
Duval brings an impressive 19 year head coaching record of 170-50 to the game with Plano, along with two other title game appearances in addition to the one in 1999. In 1989 and 1997, Duval led the Spartans to the championship as well, but they’ve never managed to win the big prize.
“It’s one thing that never gets old and it’s a great chance for us to get back there for a fourth crack at trying to win it all,” Duval said.
Unlike Plano’s relatively easy march through the past two weeks, St. Joseph-Ogden has had difficult games winning at Decatur St. Theresa on Nov. 11, 27-22 and just barely hanging on at home last week 22-21 against Anna-Jonesboro in the semifinals.
The Spartans are led by 5’11” 165 lb. tailback Mark Gones who along with the Reapers Nick Nasti were named to the Class 3A All State team last week. Gones has rushed for 33 touchdowns and 1,715 total yards. Compare that to Nasti’s 22 touchdowns and 1,681 yards rushing and you have two very statistically similar rushers.
But Gones is strictly speed and finesse from the tailback spot, while Nasti is both power and speed, both inside and out. Along with Reaper senior running mate Jared Ferguson, the two Plano rushers have totaled more than 2,700 yards on the ground, while helping the Reapers total an amazing 4,303 yards rushing as a team in 2006.
“Plano is quite impressive running the ball. Nasti is the real deal. He’s an extremely talented young man with great size and speed. Along with Ferguson, (Luis) Alvarado, and (Brook) Bott, we’ll have our hand full trying to solve their rushing game,” Duval said.
The Reapers will have to contend with a monster Spartan defensive line that boasts an average height of 6’2” and an average weight of 235 lbs.
“They’re sure big up front on defense. They just get up into you and even though they don’t penetrate deep, they read very well,” said Plano head football coach Jim Green. “Hopefully that plays into our hands a little bit if we can find a seam or a crease here or there. We’re not sure what look they’ll throw at us, but I think we’re ready for them.”
In their next to last day of practice as a team in 2006, Green decided to take the Reapers to North Central College in Naperville on Wednesday in preparation for play on the same type of surface they’ll find Friday at Memorial Stadium in Champaign.
“It was nice to go to North Central and practice on the turf and kind of get the feel for it. We got to see some of the bounces and feel what it was like to get tackled on that,” Green said. “It was a great day for us overall. We’ll practice early on Thanksgiving and spend the day with our families before leaving at 10 a.m. on Friday for what hopefully will be the best day in Reaper football history.”
If the last two weeks are any indication as to the way Plano will perform, all of Reaper Nation will be eagerly awaiting the chance to bask in the glory of the school’s first state championship.
“I sure hope that same team shows up that has shown up the last two games,” Green said. “If we play like we did against Amboy and Bureau Valley, I feel very good about our chances.”
Plano Blows Up Bureau Valley
Reapers Demolish Defending State Champs With Offensive And Defensive Fireworks
By Bill Lidinsky
Before Saturday evenings IHSA Class 3A High School football semifinals at Plano, it was evident to see the hosts had some big plans for celebration.
Prior to the matchup with defending champion Bureau Valley, in the newly cut cornfield across from the south end zone at Reaper stadium, skids upon skids of fireworks were being readied for pre-game activities and in game Reaper scores.
The aerial displays before the contest were vivid colorful and abundant. But they held nothing on the ‘fireworks’ show put on by Reaper Nation once the game actually started.
Behind an awe inspiring defensive effort that ‘lit up’ Bureau Valley all state quarterback Garrett Barnas, Plano (13-0) also used thundering offensive pyrotechnics to completely demolish the Storm by the score of 49-7.
It was only the first loss suffered by Bureau Valley (12-1) since they dropped the 3A state title game to Addison Driscoll back in November of 2004.
The Reapers blew up the Storm’s perfect 26-0 record over the past two season’s with complete domination in all facets of the football game just like in last week’s 49 point win at Amboy.
Plano will go for the ultimate prize of a state championship this Friday at Memorial Stadium in Champaign where they’ll face St. Joseph-Ogden (13-0) who managed to slip past Anna-Jonesboro in the other 3A semifinal on Saturday by the score of 22-21.
“I really don’t think we could’ve played much better,” said Plano senior running back Jared Ferguson. “It doesn’t get as good as this. There was a lot of hype about this game. But all that matters is that scoreboard over there and we lit it up tonight.”
The ignition to the Reaper offensive machine came on the very first series of the game. Plano used up the first 4:15 of the clock to go 71 yards on nine plays and scored when senior running back Nick Nasti rambled in from 27-yards out to give Reaper Nation a 7-0 advantage.
After holding Bureau Valley on five plays, Plano scored two plays later to go up 14-0 on Ferguson’s 60-yard gallop around left tackle.
“They were keying on Nick (Nasti) and the left side made an awesome block. I had one guy to beat and after that it was off to the races,” Ferguson said.
Plano’s defense was downright explosive itself in the first quarter frustrating the highly touted Barnas with it’s shifts and multiple looks.
After the Reapers took a 14-0 lead into the second period, intense defensive pressure on Barnas kept the ball in the Plano offense’s hands. On their second drive of the quarter, Plano chewed up over six minutes on the clock with a methodical 80 yard, 12 play drive that ended with Ferguson’s second touchdown on a three-yard waltz to give Reaper Nation a 21-0 lead with just under two minutes to go in the half.
But the Storm were able to temporally put a halt to the Plano defensive dominance on a one-yard touchdown run by Barnas 40 seconds later after a controversial 52 yard pass play to Justin Doty that was ruled a catch.
But Plano still led 21-7 going into the locker room and the main fireworks show inside Reaper Stadium was just about to begin.
The Nation’s third quarter offensive explosion started with Ferguson’s third touchdown on an 11-yard run at 7:45 to make the score 28-7. Then the defense fired off a bomb when junior cornerback Alec Haws intercepted Barnas on the next series and returned the ball 18-yards for the score to put Plano up 36-7 after Brian Green’s two-point conversion run.
“I saw their receiver coming out and the ball was released. He didn’t catch it and I said to myself, I have to get one this year, so I was able to grab it and get in for the touchdown,” Haws said.
Then after forcing Bureau Valley into a fourth-and-45 from their own end zone, the Reaper defensive Doberman’s sniffed out a questionable fake punt by Barnas and forced the ball over on downs at the Storm six yard line.
Two plays later senior quarterback Brook Bott scored Plano’s third touchdown in 2:17 seconds on a 1-yard sneak to up the demolition total to 42-7 after a missed bonus kick.
Nasti capped off the 28 point third quarter Fourth of July like exhibition with a 70-yard rumble at 1:57 to make the score 49-7. The running clock immediately ensued and from their it was all over except of course for the post game high in the sky light show courtesy of those guys in the corn field.
Nasti led all rusher with 167 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns. Ferguson had the three scores along with 102 yards on nine totes. The Reaper defense shackled Barnas to 51 yards on 15 carries, while allowing Bureau Valley only 190 yards total offense. Plano registered a massive 430 yards with 360 coming while running the ball.
“We realize both Wilmington and Reed-Custer both ran on them well earlier in the playoffs. We figured we’d be able to do even better because that’s our strength and we did,” Nasti said.
With the win, Plano erased the bad memory of last year’s semifinal loss to Tolono Unity. In almost unbelievable fashion against a team that had lost only one game in three years, Reaper Nation is now poised to win their first state championship in Plano High School football history.
“Our goal was to be practicing on Thanksgiving this year and we’ll be doing that,” said Plano head football coach Jim Green. “The kids executed to near perfection the last two weeks and today was unbelievable. To have a running clock in the state semifinals against the defending champion is hard to imagine, but we did it. I’ve been here a long time and as a kid growing up we always watched the state championships around Thanksgiving. To think we’re going to be the one’s in the spotlight now is very special. Hopefully we can bring home Plano’s first state title. It doesn’t get any better than this.”
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