There was an ominous sign early on Friday night that things may not go just right for the West Prairie/ Southeastern football team as the Cyclones prepared to christen their new field in Colchester.
The scoreboard refused to work which proved to be a harbinger for WP/SE as Blue Ridge/ DeLand-Weldon downed the Cyclones 24-14 in their Illinois 8-Man Football Association non-conference opener.
Junior running back Chase Ellis ran for 342 yards on 24 carries and scored four touchdowns to lead the Knights’ attack.
The loss spoiled the debut of new WP/SE head coach Mark Benson who came away impressed with Ellis who had scoring runs of 62, 74, 60, and 36 yards.
He also had a 94-yard scoring jaunt called back in the second quarter.
“He’s fast and we’re not a fast team,” said Benson. “We’ve got to contain to do our job. If somebody gets around the corner on us, it’s going to be a problem for us.”
Blue Ridge/DeLand-Weldon took the opening kickoff and needed only six plays before Ellis broke free around the right end for a 62-yard touchdown.
The two-point pass attempt failed leaving the score at 6-0.
The visitors got the ball right back after WP/SE fumbled away the ensuing kickoff and the Knights took over at the Cyclones’ 41.
But, the WP/SE defense would eventually stop the visitors on downs at the Cyclones’ 13-yard line.
WP/SE put together an 18-play drive that bled into the second quarter, but a fourth-down pass attempt from sophomore quarterback Hayden Wilcox to sophomore tight end Gannon Shipman fell incomplete to stop the drive at the Blue Ridge/DeLand-Weldon 11.
After Ellis saw his 94-yard touchdown called back by a holding penalty, the WP/SE defense stiffened to force the only punt of the game after stopping the Knights at their own six-yard line.
Starting at their own 38, WP/SE marched 62-yards in 10 plays and capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown run by Wilcox with just over two minutes remaining in the first half.
Junior Clarence Billingsley ran in the two-point conversion to give the Cyclones an 8-6 lead.
The lead was short-lived though as Ellis struck again on the first play of the ensuing drive, breaking free on a 74-yard jaunt. But the two-point attempt failed, giving the visitors a 12-8 halftime lead.
WP/SE took the opening second half kickoff near midfield, but junior running back Bryson Tanner had the ball stripped away and the Knights recovered at their own 32.
On a third-and-two, Ellis took off on a 60-yard scoring run to make it 18-8 after another unsuccessful two-point attempt.
On their next possession, the Cyclones got down to the Knights’ 29 before Wilcox fumbled the ball away at the Blue Ridge/ DeLand-Weldon 33.
But, the WP/SE defense would get the ball back a short time later as Ellis fumbled at the WP/SE 13 where it was recovered by the Cyclones.
The score would remain the same entering the fourth quarter where WP/SE would close the gap.
Starting from their own 15, the Cyclones would march 85 yards in 15 plays as Tanner would score on a three-yard plunge with about eight minutes left.
The two-point attempt failed to keep it an 18-14 score.
Each team turned the ball over on downs on their next possessions. With just under five minutes remaining, Blue Ridge was driving deep into WP/SE territory, but Shipman stripped the ball away from quarterback Anshaun White to give the Cyclones possession at their own 37.
The Knights’ defense would hold and get the ball back on downs where Ellis would put the game away on a 36-yard touchdown sprint with just over a minute to go.
Once again, the two-point attempt failed to make it a 24-14 final.
Despite the loss and turnovers, Benson was pleased and optimistic over what he saw for the most part.
“The system we run is not easy and it’s going to take some time,” said Benson. “The boys know that and there was frustration early. I told them this week that we would probably put the ball on the ground a couple of times. That’s the thing when you run options.”
“We played hard and proved to ourselves that conditioning matters,” Benson continued. “We just have to get better at execution. The first thing I learned is that our guys are resilient.”
Wilcox led the WP/SE rushing attack with 147 yards on 28 carries and a touchdown, while Tanner added 108 yards on 27 carries with a touchdown.
WP/SE (0-1) takes to the road Friday night as the Cyclones will face Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland in Streator.
