A packed house was on hand Friday night at Kewanee High School Stadium to cheer on the undefeated Boilermakers against the Hall/Putnam County Red Devils.
Kewanee won the homecoming game in grand fashion by a score of 41-0 and emerged with their pristine 5-0 record intact.
Early on it looked as if the game might be a defensive battle to the end, but ultimately Kewanee’s defensive prowess proved too much for the Red Devils. The Boilers would go on to win their fourth shutout of the season.
There was little offense for either team in the first quarter, but there was some impressive defense played by both squads. For the Boilers, junior Alex Duarte, in particular, was fired up. The middle linebacker made his presence known on Hall’s first possession as he wrapped up their kick receiver shortly after catching the ball. Duarte had three tackles during Hall’s first possession, including a QB sack that helped force the Red Devils to punt one play later.
Hall’s defense was just as effective throughout Kewanee’s first possession. Facing a third and 10 situation, Clark’s pass to Ben Taylor was incomplete, forcing KHS to punt.
The Red Devils started their next possession at their own 44. After a Hall run was thwarted by Duarte, Blake Johnston flushed Hall quarterback, Gianni Guerrini, out of the pocket and took him down for a loss. Hall, again, came up empty.
After another strong defensive stance by Hall, the Boilers also punted on their second possession. The game remained scoreless at the end of the first quarter.
Eventually, something had to give and that something was an interception by KHS senior Landon Mason. Guerrini attempted a short pass over the middle, but it was picked off by Mason and carried to the Hall 20.
Facing a third and 20 from the 30 yard line, Clark unleashed a beautiful pass to junior tight end Brady Schiltz at the far right corner of the end zone for a 30-yard TD pass. Clark’s PAT kick was good for a 7-0 early lead.
On Hall’s next possession, Johnston wrapped up Guerrini on another QB sack and a loss of seven yards on the play to force a punt.
Consecutive runs of 25,15 and one by Clark set up a third and nine in Hall’s red zone. Duarte plunged up the middle and in for the touchdown. Clark’s kick cleared the uprights for the 14-0 lead.
For the final score of the half, Clark spotted an open Davontae Jordan over the middle and Jordan broke free for a 34-yard TD pass to complete the 67-yard drive. The Boilers took a 21-0 halftime lead.
The Boilers had a sustained drive on their first possession of the second half. After runs by Duarte, Cruz Paredes and Draven Peterson, Clark handed the ball to the fullback, Paredes, who ran the remaining seven yards into end zone. The PAT kick was blocked, but the KHS lead was now 27-0.
Later in the third quarter, Duarte tacked on another TD from one yard out. This time the PAT was good for a score of 34-0, with 18 seconds remaining in the third.
Towards the end of the fourth quarter, the Boilers benefitted from the strong running of Peterson, Mason and sophomore Waylon Lambert. Sophomore Gunner Salisbury then entered the game and had an 11-yard run and capped off the final Boiler TD from one yard out.
The final score was 41-0. With the win, the 2023 Boilers are just the seventh football team to start the season at 5-0. The other teams to do so are from 1934, 1943, 1951, 1982, 1999 and 2021.
*Historical stats provided by Jerry Salisbury
