***William Ly is a participant of The Kewanee Voice Student Journalism Program, funded by the Harry Anderson Memorial Trust.
The Kewanee Boilermakers took on the Orion Chargers Friday for their last game of the regular season. The Boilers went into the game knowing a win would mean qualifying to the IHSA State Playoffs, and win they did, with a final score of 44-34.
In addition to besting Orion, senior Alex Duarte broke two additional records for Kewanee High School, cementing his name three different times in the record book.
The first score of the game came from a 33-yard run from freshman Ace LaFollette. The Boilermakers decided to go for two and succeeded on a run by Duarte, giving them an 8-0 lead.
Shortly afterwards, Duarte got his own touchdown on a 32-yard run down the field. This time, LaFollette completed the conversion for an early 16-0 lead.
The Chargers fired back with their own run by senior Aiden Fisher. Freshman Griffin Whitcomb kicked the extra point to make the score 16-7.
The Boilermakers were not done in the first quarter, though, as Duarte got his second touchdown of the night. LaFollette ran the ball in for two, and the Boilermakers were up 24-7 by the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Chargers scored first on a run by junior Kale Friller. They missed the kick, and the Boilers were still up 24-13.
Before the end of the half, Duarte made an incredible 63-yard run for his third touchdown against the Chargers. The Boilermakers got stopped in their extra point attempt and finished the half 30-13.
After the halftime break, the Chargers revitalized their offense with two quick touchdowns to make the score 30-26.
With the game being within one score, the Boilermakers sought another touchdown push. Duarte went for his fourth and succeeded by running it seven yards. The extra point was scored on a pass from senior Colson Welgat to senior Ben Taylor.
The score was now 38-26 late in the third quarter.
The Chargers scored once more on a run from Fisher and made a two point conversion to bring the score up to 38-34 with one quarter left.
In the final quarter, the Boilermakers scored again on a run by Duarte. The final score of the night was 44-34.
This win marked multiple accomplishments for the Boilermakers, as they have qualified for the IHSA State playoffs for the third time in four years. This game also allowed Alex Duarte to certify his place in Kewanee High School history as he holds the record for the most touchdowns scored in one season and, as of Friday, stands as the Boilers’ all-time points leader.
Duarte noted that he is happy to hold a few records for the school now, but ultimately thanked his team for the support they have given him over the years.
“It was an all-out team effort for me, beginning from sophomore year. I’m grateful I am able to be where I’m at now,” Duarte said.
Game Stats:
The Boilermaker offense mainly came from rushing. They racked up a total of 387 yards, with Duarte leading with 296 yards on 25 carries.
Touchdowns came from Duarte (five) and LaFollette (one)
Boilermakers quarterback Welgat completed 4 out of 5 passes for a total of 65 yards.
The Boilermakers also went 4 for 6 on conversions allowing them to get 8 extra points.
The Chargers had 225 rushing yards in total with senior Aiden Fisher having the most with 147 yards on 18 carries.
Charger quarterback Kale Filler completed 19 passes out of 35 attempts for 189 yards.
Charger touchdowns came from Fisher (two), Bainbridge (one), Filler (one), Mohr (one).
