The Annawan-Wethersfield Titans took care of business Friday night against the visiting Princeville Princes, then awaited word on the Illinois High School Association football playoff pairings.
The Titans rolled over Princeville 49-6, making them 8-1 for the season. Players, coaches and fans were hoping after the game for a first-round playoff game at home.
Even with the loss, Princeville is playoff-eligible with a regular-season record of 5-4.
The IHSA will announce playoff pairings Saturday evening.
The tone of Friday’s game was set early, as the Titans held Princeville to a three-and-out on their opening possession of the game. A short punt gave the Titans the ball at the Princeville 48.
The Titans scored in six plays, five of them runs by junior tailback Zeb Rashid. Rashid ran 18 yards for the score.
Princeville faced a fourth and one on their next possession at their own 43. Quarterback Logan Carruthers lost a yard and A-W took over on downs. Two plays later Rashid broke free for a 44-yard touchdown run and a 14-0 Titans lead.
On their next possession Princeville managed a first down thanks to a 13-yard pass play from Carruthers to Jake Williams. But their drive stalled, and they turned the ball over on downs to the Titans at the Princeville 32.
Quarterback Dillon Horrie connected with Colin Hornback on a pass play to the Princeville 4, and Horrie ran it in from there to make it 21-0 Titans.
It was more of the same in the second quarter, as the Titans defense throttled the Princeville offense and Annawan-Wethersfield scored on an eight-yard TD pass from Horrie to Landon Sauer and Rashid’s 47-yard TD run with three minutes left in the half.
The Titans took the opening kickoff of the second half and after gaining ground on runs by Rashid and Tommy Covington, Horrie connected with Ryker Gillespie on a pass play down to the Princeville 5.
Two plays later Covington scored on a three-yard run, but an apparent incident after the touchdown resulted in two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on the Titans and one on the Princes and Covington being ejected from the game. The touchdown counted and A-W went up 41-0.
Princeville averted the shutout on a six-yard TD run by Tayshaun Kieser.
With the starters on the sidelines, the Titans’ reserves scored the final touchdown on a nine-yard run by Devon Horrie, Dillon’s brother, who also ran in the two-point conversion.
