After racing for a 64-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter Saturday, Bloomington High School's Mr. Everything knelt on the sidelines. Harrison got a drink of water and caught his breath as the Purple Raiders went for a two-point conversion.

"I was back out there the next play on defense," Harrison proclaimed, proudly.

BHS' defense couldn't afford to be without Harrison. The senior linebacker made 21 tackles and the Raiders intercepted three passes in the final six minutes to seal a 19-14 victory over Rock Island in a Class 6A second-round playoff game at Fred Carlton Field.

The win improved ninth-ranked BHS to 11-0 and sets up an Intercity rematch in next week's quarterfinals. BHS, the No. 1 seed in the quadrant, will meet second-seeded Normal Community (10-1) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Fred Carlton Field.

BHS beat the Ironmen 24-20 in the second game of the season.

"We know if we come and work hard all week and we give it our all, it's hard to beat us," said Harrison. "We've been looking forward to it."

Harrison, a University of Illinois recruit, has enjoyed many big games in his BHS career.

Topping Saturday's effort would be difficult -- if not impossible.

Harrison scored all of BHS' touchdowns, including a 2-yard run in the second quarter and a 15-yard return of a blocked punt in the third quarter. He gained 129 yards rushing on 12 carries.

Perhaps more importantly, Harrison was part of a defense that slowed a powerful Rock Island running attack. With BHS often putting all 11 defenders up near the line of scrimmage, the Rocks (8-3) were held in check most of the game.

"I thought the kids put a lot of trust into what the coaching staff came up with and played a solid game," said BHS coach Rigo Schmelzer. "I would like to thank some of the coaches in the community starting with Coach Darren Hess (of Normal West). They went up and played them, and he gave us some insight into what he felt would assist some of the ideas we were playing with."

Rock Island gained 189 of its 232 yards on the ground. When the Rocks were forced to pass, they didn't have much luck. Quarterback Jacob Markum went 2 of 16.

The Raiders' Brandon Hughes intercepted two of Markum's passes in the fourth quarter, while Donald Brown's pick with 57 seconds left ended the Rocks' last chance.

"We asked them to play with some heart and emotion, and they did," said BHS defensive coordinator Don Anderson.

BHS' passing game was almost non-existent, too. Jeremy Peden completed only 1 of 10 attempts for 25 yards -- to Harrison, of course. But with James Wade (145 yards on 27 carries) looking nearly fully recovered from a knee injury and Harrison providing the power inside, BHS had enough to advance.

"If you made a mistake in this kind of game on either side, the speed element would make you pay for it," said Rock Island coach Vic Boblett. "I thought our defense played well most of the game. We contained their speed pretty well and they did ours.

"In the end it comes down to a special teams play that went their way. That oftentimes is what these games come down to."

That play occurred with three minutes left in the third quarter and the game tied at 7. BHS' Dan Pettie broke through to cleanly block Jason Reda's punt. Harrison did the rest, picking up the loose ball and running the final 15 yards for a touchdown. It was the first punt blocked against Rock Island this season.

"We feel like we have some good athletes and good speed, so if we overload (one side) we like to think we can get there," said Schmelzer. "It's something we've done this year. When we're struggling a little bit on offense, special teams can (assist)."

Fullback John Saldana scored Rock Island's touchdowns on a pair of 2-yard runs, the latter with 8:47 left that drew the Rocks within 19-14. Halfback R.B. Krakilow paced Rock Island with 107 yards rushing, while Saldana added 75.

Contact Jim Benson at jbenson@pantagraph.com.