Minooka, Hill Run Past Oswego East

So far this season in the Southwest Prairie Conference, Minooka and Oswego East are going in opposite directions.

This was evident during the Wolves’ homecoming game Friday night, when Minooka senior running back Kalvin Hill scored four touchdowns (all runs) for the Indians (two, 77, 21 and 6 yards) and ran the ball 16 times for 201 yards in the 48-7 victory.  

The Indians, who started the season with two nonconference losses, have won four straight in the conference and are now 4-2 overall and 4-0 in league play. Oswego East, which opened with two nonconference wins, have dropped four consecutive conference games and sport a 2-4 overall record and 0-4 mark in conference play.

For Minooka coach Burt Kooi, he is pleased to see improvement in his team every week.

“We sort of had some issues for the last five weeks that whether it be special teams, offense or defense, (but) I think we put it all together tonight,” said Kooi, whose team will play host to Plainfield North. “We are getting better each and every week and that is what I am excited about. Again, we didn’t have any blow ups in any of those segments that we mentioned, so obviously that’s a good thing.”

“We got beat by a physical football team tonight,” Oswego East coach Mark Green. “They came out and didn’t do anything we weren’t expecting offensive and defensively. They ran the ball hard. Hill is a very good running back — one of the better backs in our conference — and he showed why tonight.”

Josh Pullara got the Indians on the board first with a 3-yard plunge for the lone score in the first quarter.

Then, Hill recorded his first score, a short plunge to cap a nine-play, 77-yard drive that was highlighted by 35 yards rushing by Dane Colvin (13 carries, 65 yards) and a 37-yard quarterback keeper by Joe Carnagio (seven carries, 73 yards).

“Everyone changed our intensity at practice and just got after it this week … offensively, defensively and special teams,” Hill said. “We came out there. We got on our assignments and we did what we are supposed to do. When we do that, big wins happen, like tonight.”

Chris Cooper (18 carries, 51 yards) scored for East from two yards out with 2 minutes, 10 seconds left to cut the lead 14-7. Just 54 seconds later, Hill scored his second touchdown and Minooka led 20-7 after Jake Stytz’s kick went into his own line.

East drove to Minooka’s 7 with two seconds left in the half, keyed by two quarterback Dakoda Skenandore passes — one for 21 yards and one for 23 yards to brother Chase. Dakoda passed for 85 yards on 8 of 16 passing, while Chase had four catches for 69 yards.

Kicker Cooper Fell came in to attempt a 24-yard field goal to cut the lead in half (20-10), but Fell’s kick was wide left. It was the turning point of the game according to Green.

“Scoring, giving up the long run … coming away empty kind of hurt us going into halftime and gave them some life,” Green said. “It kind of demoralized us a little bit. They scored coming out in the second half and then it was a three touchdown game.”

Hill scored twice in the third and sandwiched in between was a 27-yard keeper by Carnagio. Cory Bee scored the final touchdown, a 19-yard run, in the fourth.

Green and his players will regroup.

“They are a resilient group,” Green said. “We have to look at our game film tonight and see what we can do as Oswego East Wolves football to get better and we need to focus on that this week. We need to play our next conference opponent and get that first conference win.”

Oswego East will try and get that win at Romeoville.