news102607

Reapers whitewash Red Devils

October 27, 2007
By RICK ARMSTRONG STAFF WRITER
PLANO -- Slippery when wet.

In this era of political correctness, it's surprising Wilson isn't required to imprint that warning on the football. On nights like this, when a pre-game mist quickened to a steady downpour and lasted through the first half, it wouldn't make holding onto the pigskin any easier than if it were greased.

Brian Green found that out in short order Friday in the Reapers' IHSA Class 3A playoff opener with Spring Valley Hall. The Plano quarterback lost a fumble on the first play from scrimmage but the best was yet to come.

Plano 19, Spring Valley Hall 0

• Hall was a not-so-perfect 10. That's how many times the Red Devils fumbled the ball, losing three of them.

• Plano's defense, led by linebackers Dan Peruski, Kirk Kabala and Randy Niles limited Hall to 56 yards rushing and just 83 total yards.

"The first half, with all that rain, man," the mud-splattered QB said later with a shake of his head. "Even the second half was tough (holding onto the ball) because the ground was so wet."
Jim Green's players proved to be magnificent mudders, though, posting a 19-0 whitewash to begin defense of their state title.

"You knew it was gonna happen to them and you knew it was gonna happen to us," said Jim Green. "It was inevitable on a night like tonight."

Hall fumbled the ball eight times in the first half, when the teams combined for 11. The visitors finished with 10 fumbles (three lost) and Plano had five (two lost).

In between, the Plano defense was magnificent.

Hall had three first downs on its first possession, but turned the ball over on downs after four shots from the Plano 6 or closer. Kevin Debolt, Dan Peruski, Kirk Kabala, Matt Smith and Debolt again came up big in the stand.

The Red Devils mustered no more first downs the rest of the half and had just two in the second half. One-thousand-yard rusher Jordan Petersen was limited to 25 yards on the ground.

"The key (on a night like this) is field position," said Jim Green. "it was not in our favor early but we got that punt out of there after we stopped them on four downs. They fumbled, we punted again and pinned them deep and that turned the momentum."

Peruski's fumble recovery at the Hall 15-yard line set up the Reapers first score in the second quarter. Fullback Luis Alvarado (20 carries, 83 yards) ran for three yards and then sophomore J.J. Cannon went off left tackle 13 yards for a touchdown. Kevin Jernigan's PAT kick came close to scraping paint off the crossbar for a 7-0 lead.

In the third quarter, Plano (9-1) pinned Hall (5-5) at its 1-yard line when Mitch Krause downed a Jernigan punt. Kirk Kabala recovered a Mike Burch fumble at the three and two plays later Cannon went in from 1-yard out.

Green closed the scoring in the fourth with a 3-yard run on a naked bootleg around left end.

"We did a great job blocking," said Brian Green. "There were some big holes for us, even as wet as it was. On the touchdown, (Tight end) Smith did a great job of sealing it off."

Cissell, a 6-foot-4 senior, had eight of the Red Devil fumbles, all on exchanges with his center.

"He seemed a little bit jittery and it did seem like he was pulling out (from under center)," said Brian Green. "We did a good job recovering some of those fumbles and getting touchdowns out of it."

Smith had the other Plano fumble recovery and Chris Martinez recovered an onside kick.

"We should have been up by more but didn't put it in at the end of the half," said Brian Green. "We knew our offenses was gonna keep rolling in the second half."

A Plano drive stalled at the Hall five, shortly before the half closed as Jim Green went for it on fourth-and-goal rather than risk Jernigan in a field goal attempt in the slop. "The quarterback-center mishandles really hurt," said Hall coach Gary Vicini and in the second half it seemed like we did nothing but go three-and-out. We just couldn't get the offense on the field and they were able to sustain the run."

Plano finished with 176 yards rushing and out-gained the Red Devils 192-83 in total yards.

The Reapers will play the winner of today's 1 p.m. game between Aledo and Monmouth-Roseville.

Red Devils' Season Ends at Plano
IHSA Football Playoffs
by Brad Martin-BCR

October 21, 2007

Plano Reapers- 19

Hall Red Devils- 0

Just a Plano miserable night for Hall
By Brad Martin
bmartin@bcrnews.com
Saturday, October 27, 2007 12:54 AM CDT

PLANO — As the rain was falling harder and harder, the Hall Red Devils just couldn’t get their offense going against the Plano Reapers Friday night as the defending 3A state champs cruised into the second round with a 19-0 victory.

On Hall’s first possession the Red Devils marched down the field and inside the Plano 10-yard line with three first downs, but the first of 10 fumbles, most off quarterback-center exchanges.

Hall would not have another first down until the second half, but until late in the second quarter the Red Devils held their ground on defense.

“When it comes down to it, we just put the quarterback-center exchange on the ground too much,” Hall coach Gary Vicini said. “Plano had a few, but not nearly as many as we did and that just killed any hopes we had of getting into a rhythm.”

Luis Alvarado began finding some holes and pounded his way through the Red Devils defense for about 20 yards. That set up a 13-yard touchdown run by Jeremy Cannon to put the Reapers up 7-0 with five minutes to go in the half.

Mike Burch was the Red Devils’ offense in the first half as he gained 29 of the 31 yards Hall was able to get. Once the Red Devils started to look like they were going to get something going on offense, they would have another fumble.

“We were able to recover almost all of them,” Vicini said. “But each time there was a fumble we got the ball back but we lost two yards each time and that killed any hopes of getting things going.”

In the second half, the Red Devils got a healthy dosage of Alvarado and Cannon as Plano just played grind it out football. That led to a one-yard TD run by Cannon. The Reapers settled for a 13-0 lead after a bobbled snap on the extra point just four minutes left in the third quarter.

From there the Reapers surprised the Red Devils with an onside kick and recovered to again kill the clock and move the ball back down the field.

“That didn’t help either,” Vicini said. “I think we only had the ball three times in the second half and when the defense is on the field that much it’s not a good thing because obviously it limits our chances of getting the offense going and possibly score.”

Then with just over seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Reapers quarterback Brian Green called his own number and faked the handoff and ran off the left tackle for an easy three yard touchdown. Once again the kick was blocked and the scoreboard now read 19-0 in favor of the Plano Reapers.

With time running out in the quarter and on Hall’s season, quarterback Clayton Cissell found Korby Kasperski for a 29-yard pass completion. Unfortunately for the Red Devils the drive stalled and never got close to the end zone and Hall turned the ball over on downs.

From there Alvarado just continued to pound the ball up the middle and Cannon outside which helped prevent the Red Devils offense from taking the field.

“I am proud of these kids,” said Vicini, who’s team bows out with a 5-5 record. “Obviously this is not how we expected the season to end in the first round when we first took the field back in August, but sometimes that just happens and unfortunately for us that’s how it happened.”

For the game, Burch had 35 yards on nine carries and Jordan Petersen had 26 yards on 11 carries.

Alvarado led the Reapers with 79 yards on 20 carries and Cannon had 43 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns who move on to face Saturday’s winner between No. 4 Aledo-Westmer and No. 12 Monmouth-Roseville