Sterling Newman vs. Morrison | Friday Sept 9, 2011
This game had all the hype you could ask for in a high school football game. Both teams entered the game undefeated and ranked #1 in their respective class. Each team had won a state title within the last 2 years. With only 17 miles separating these two schools you knew it was going to be a game to remember.
Last Friday, I made the drive over to Morrison, IL to cover one of the most anticipate games in Class 2a/3a in Northern Illinois this year. Last year, Sterling Newman defeated Morrison 21-19 in an epic battle, which saw Sterling Newman score 21 unanswered second half points in their Class 2A Quarterfinal game.
I arrived at the high school about an hour and half before kick off and the stands were already packed.
Many estimate the crowd to be around 3,500
Newman takes the field
The game started off as a defensive battle. The first 5 possessions ended in punts.
The first quarter ended at 0-0.
Midway through the 2nd quarter, Sterling Newman went to the air as Ryan Olson connected with Tim Wilson for a 64 yard touchdown pass.
#11 Ryan Olson – 112 yds passing 1 TD, 1 TD Rushing
#51 Logan Kuehl tries to block Olson’s pass.
#11 Danny Dennehey looks to lead the Mustangs down the field.
#15 Mark McDonnell tires to avoid the Newman defender
Morrison tried to mount several scoring drives, but Newman’s defense came up big each time.
Midway through the 2nd quarter Newman looked like they were going to score a touchdown again, but Morrison’s defense stepped up and forced Newman to settle for a field goal and take a 10-0 lead.
Morrison defense with a gang tackle.
Dennehey looks for the open guy.
With 2:00 minutes left in the 2nd quarter – Brian Bahrs found an opening in the Morrison Defense and ran 71 yards for another Newman TD.
#35 Brian Bahrs – 154 yds – 1 TD
At the end of half it was 17-0.
In the second half, it was all Sterling Newman. They had possession of the ball for over 10 minutes in the 3rd quarter. They kept the play calling very simple and kept running up the middle. Newman’s line definitely owned the trenches on this night.
#41 Tim Wilson up the middle for another gain.
At the end of the 3rd quarter – Newman was up 17 -0.
In the 4th quarter, Morrison went back to the passing game, but several dropped passes proved costly.
Dennehey looks for #5 Kyle Heusinkveld
#5 Kyle Heusinkveld goes up for the catch
In the 4th quarter, Newman’s QB Ryan Olson had a 1yd rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 24-0.
Newman’s line fires off the ball.
Final Score: Sterling Newman 24 – Morrison 0
Summary
Sterling Newman showed why they are the #1 ranked team in Class 3A. There are many Class 2A teams around the state that are hoping that they stay in 3A and that they don’t drop down to Class 2A come playoff time. The difference in this game was Morrison’s defense not being able to stop the run. Once Newman got the lead, they went to a very basic game plan. Run, Run, Run. Overall, I think this loss will make Morrison a better team come playoff time. It exposed some areas of their game that they need to improve on.
Best of luck to both teams the rest of the season.