Sycamore Ends Yorkville's Season

Yorkville senior running back Neil O’Brien got his team off to a great start Friday night at Campbell Field, but it is not about how you start. It is how you finish.

O’Brien, who rushed for 254 yards and 29 carries, blasted down the sidelines 71 yards for a touchdown on Yorkville’s first play from scrimmage, giving his team an early 7-0 lead just 16 seconds into the game.

Sycamore (6-3, 3-2) answered with four consecutive touchdown drives and intercepted Yorkville four times in claiming a 42-14 Northern Illinois Big 12 East Conference victory that ended the playoff hopes and season for Yorkville (4-5, 0-5).

 “We were pressing a little bit,” Yorkville coach Karl Hoinkes said. “We couldn’t throw that pill around at all. We gave them too many turnovers. We looked for our defense and were a bit banged up. We were making do with what we got, but the kids played hard. We played hard. (O’Neil) did a nice job, but it wasn’t enough because we gave them the ball back too many times.”

O'Brien initially had high hopes for the game.

“(The offensive line) came out ready to play and made a perfect hole,” O’Brien said. “I did what I was supposed to do and scored right away. Coming into it, I figured it was going to be a high-scoring game. We just screwed up in the red zone again.”

Sycamore scored after five plays on its first possession following O’Brien’s touchdown.  Sycamore quarterback Ryan Bartels scored from one yard out to cap the drive.

Yorkville had a long drive (13 plays, 58 yards) but couldn’t counter as quarterback Nick Gillette pass to Ilir Emini on fourth-and-15 at Sycamore’s 22 fell incomplete.

Sycamore took over on downs and Austin Culton (15 carries, 174 yards) scored the first of four touchdowns of the night. Culton had runs of 11, 13, 23 yards for scores in the second quarter to up Sycamore’s advantage to 28-7 at halftime and added a 35-yard run to cap the scoring with 3:07 left in the game.

“We answered back and answered again,” Bartels said.

Yorkville threatened to score before the half, but Gillette (1 of 8, 8 yards) threw his second interception of the night to Zack Munro and Sycamore took over at the 2.

Junior Jake Anton took over as quarterback for the Foxes to start the third quarter and led them on a six-play scoring drive after Brad Sherwood recovered the onside kick to start the half. Anton hooked up with Gillette on a 16-yard touchdown pass to cut Sycamore’s lead to 28-14 with 8:54 remaining in the third.

After both teams traded possessions, Sycamore got on the board again when Bartels (6 of 7 for 92 yards) ran in from 11 yards out at the 5:19 mark of the third for his second touchdown.

Yorkville drove to the Sycamore 10, but Anton (3 of 10 for 56 yards) was intercepted by Jeremy Wolf with a minute left in the third and on the Foxes next possession was intercepted again this time by Dylan Foster.

“Our running game has been a little inconsistent this year and I was really pleased what we able to do with it (tonight),” Sycamore coach Joe Ryan said. “Our passing game has been really good (this season) and our running game has been a little bit behind. If we can get both going into the second season that’s going to be big for us offensively.

"It was kind of bend but don’t break (on defense)," Ryan continued. "We haven’t been that good up front on defense, but we’ve been able to run some guys in and get some stops. It was nice to get those four interceptions, especially in the red zone like that.”

Yorkville was attempting to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

“The program is on the right step, I think,” Hoinkes said. “Our kids – our juniors, our sophomores and freshmen - will get better over the winter. Hopefully we’ll come back next year and compete. I don’t care where the win comes from. You’re always disappointed when you lose.

"We are playing better teams in our conference, and we’re not quite there yet," Hoinkes said. "We’re not quite physically there, and skill wise we’re not there. But we will get there. We’ll get there. I have confidence in us. We have to take steps in turning this around and we’ll take a bigger step next year.”

Yorkville celebrated Senior Night by recognizing all the seniors in extracurricular activities. There are 22 seniors on the football roster.