Sports

Sunday, November 24, 2002

Mehlberg's plunge lifts BHS

By Douglas Hamm
Pantagraph staff

BLOOMINGTON -- Saturday's Class 6A playoff semifinal at Fred Carlton Field had enough storylines to fill two books.

Appropriately, the Bloomington High School football team finished it in dramatic fashion.

Senior fullback Damon Mehlberg's 1-yard touchdown run with 5:03 remaining capped a 75-yard drive that lifted undefeated BHS to a pulsating 21-14, come-from-behind win over Thornton Fractional South before a standing room only crowd.

"We came out and played as a team, and that's why we won. This feels so good," Mehlberg said.

Second-ranked BHS, which rallied from a 14-0 first half deficit, will take a 13-0 record into Saturday's 10 a.m. championship game against fourth-ranked Chicago Mount Carmel (12-1) at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. The Caravan claimed a 48-20 semifinal win over Rock Island.

The Raiders will be making their first title game appearance since losing to New Lenox Providence 9-3 in the 1991 Class 4A finale. Nine-time state champion Mount Carmel has captured one 6A title (1988) and eight Class 5A championships, with the last coming in 2000.

"We felt like we really had to make a statement today," said BHS senior quarterback Andre Brown. "Beating a team from the Chicagoland area makes the statement that Bloomington High School football and Central Illinois football is for real."

The loss was doubly painful for fifth-ranked TF South (11-2). Sophomore split end/defensive back Mike Billstrand was killed in an automobile accident Friday night, and there was a moment of silence in his memory before the kickoff.

"Everybody was down last night after hearing about Mike," said TF South senior running back Pierre Thomas, a University of Illinois recruit. "The whole team was thinking about it, but we still had to focus on the game."

BHS' game-winning drive was keyed by a successful fake punt on 4th and 4 from the 50-yard line. Senior punter Eric Esch took the snap, followed the lead of blocker Justin Harrison and dived for the first down at the TF South 45.

"We needed to make something happen," said BHS coach Rigo Schmelzer. "That's the first time we've run that all year."

Esch caught a 43-yard pass from Brown on the next play to get to the 2, and Mehlberg plunged into the end zone two plays later.

"These are tough kids, and they don't give up," Schmelzer said. "When you get Andre and some of our receivers some space and an opportunity to throw the ball, they can make some exciting things happen."

TF South built its 14-0 lead behind Thomas, who scored on a 3-yard run and returned an interception 48 yards for a TD. Thomas, who rushed for 110 hard-earned yards on 32 carries, also ran for the two-point conversion following his interception return.

"He's one heck of a running back, but I think our defense can hang with anybody and stop anybody," said Esch, who also plays free safety.

BHS cut the deficit to 14-7 when Brown engineered an 8-play, 61-yard drive in the final 1:23 of the first half. Brown completed six passes on the march, including a 5-yard TD to Esch with 1.2 seconds left.

"That touchdown gave us momentum and it gave us the confidence to come out in the second half and show them who is boss," Mehlberg said.

The Raiders tied it at 14-14 with 7:47 left in the third quarter on another 1-yard run by Mehlberg. Junior running back James Wade ran for 51 yards on three carries to get BHS to the 1. Wade finished with a game-high 124 yards on 20 carries.

Senior Chad Hudson intercepted a pass by TF South quarterback Vince Rizzi on 4th and 8 from the BHS 47 to set up Mehlberg's tying TD. The Rebels also failed to convert on 4th and 8 from the BHS 37 later in the third quarter.

"We're so undersized on the defensive side of the ball we have to be gamblers like that and go for it," said TF South coach Tom Padjen.

The high-powered Rebels never got untracked against BHS' relentless defense. The Raiders held TF South to 156 yards of total offense. Rizzi completed 4 of 15 passes for 18 yards.

"Our defense played incredible," Brown said. "They're what got us to this point."

Brown completed 9 of 14 passes -- including his final seven attempts -- for 122 yards with two interceptions. Esch had five catches for 88 yards. BHS rushed for 168 yards and finished with 290 yards overall.

"Bloomington made the plays at the end," Padjen said. "Physically they just handled us up front and did a great job offensively and defensively."