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Saturday,
November 2, 2002
Slow start doesn't stop
Bloomington
By Randy Kindred
Assistant sports editor
BLOOMINGTON -- Bloomington High School's football team was
on its home turf Friday night, playing host to a Class 6A first-round
playoff game. Yet, by early in the second quarter, the Purple Raiders
found themselves in unfamiliar territory.
After a fumble and an errant punt snap set up two Champaign Central
touchdowns, BHS trailed for the first time all season.
"We hadn't really been challenged like that, so it was kind of a
shock," junior tailback James Wade said of the 13-6 deficit.
"We just gathered on the sideline and told each other to pick it
up."
Wade wasted no time, breaking a tackle and racing 50 yards for a
touchdown. The play jump-started the Raiders, who scored twice more
before halftime to lead 28-13 on the way to a 47-19 victory.
Wade also had TD runs of 55 and 42 yards, finishing with 235 yards on
14 carries. He was the catalyst as the No. 3-ranked Raiders improved to
10-0 and advanced to next week's second round against either Springfield
Southeast or Mount Vernon, who play today at Springfield.
"The offensive line did a wonderful job of blocking," Wade
said. "Then when I got to the outside, I could see well enough to
where I just tried to put on the jets and break a couple of tackles.
"I wanted to have another good game. They keep saying I'm
inconsistent, so I wanted to have two good games in a row."
Wade nearly matched his 237-yard effort of last week in a 24-3 win
over Champaign Centennial. He was complemented Friday by 100 yards
rushing on 12 carries from senior fullback Damon Mehlberg, including a
33-yard scoring run during the second-quarter blitz.
Meanwhile, senior quarterback Andre Brown, who sat out the first two
series for disciplinary reasons, threw touchdown passes of 37 yards to
Brandon Hughes and 22 yards to Eric Esch.
Brown also had a 3-yard TD run, helping BHS win despite committing 12 penalties
for 113 yards, including eight for 78 in the first half.
"I thought we started with pretty good intensity, then we got bit
by some dumb things," BHS coach Rigo Schmelzer said. "You name
it for a while and we did it. But the kids came back, which was good to
see.
"I don't think it was the prettiest of victories. But without
being as sharp as we should have, we did some pretty good things out
there."
Top-seeded BHS overcame big games by Champaign Central stars Drew
McMahon and Jeremy Leman.
McMahon rushed for 136 yards on 28 carries, scoring on a dazzling
18-yard run in the first quarter and a 1-yard plunge in the fourth
period.
Leman, a University of Illinois linebacker recruit, had 16 tackles and
also caught a 24-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, giving the
eighth-seeded Maroons (6-4) their short-lived 13-6 lead.
"We were feeling pretty good early," said Champaign Central
coach Jeff Hasenstab, a former Illinois defensive lineman. "But they
have Mehlberg and Wade back there, and that's a really good combination.
"They made our guys miss and we also missed some tackles. I think
our guys were in position, but we hadn't faced backs like that all year.
They really stuck it to us."
BHS finished with 393 yards rushing and 518 total. Brown was 8 of 18
passing for 125 yards. The Raiders limited the Maroons to 178 yards.
Linebacker Noah Wyatt and Mehlberg each had seven tackles, while John
Hamrin, Chad Olson and Jacob Kummer added six apiece.
If Springfield Southeast defeats Mount Vernon today, BHS will be at
home next week. If Mount Vernon prevails, the Raiders will be on the
road. Either way, Schmelzer said the game likely will be Saturday.
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