Macomb High head football coach Tanner Horrell and Illini West head coach Michael Lafferty each had two goals in mind before their teams collided last Friday night at MHS Field.
Their first goal was to clinch the Lincolnland West division title with a victory. The second goal was to remain healthy for the playoffs that get underway in two weeks.
The host Bombers accomplished the first goal with a resounding 43-0 Senior Night victory over the Chargers to improve to 7-1 for the season and 4-0 in the division.
The second goal remains uncertain as both teams saw key individuals sustain injuries during the contest.
It was the “Carter Havens Show’ for MHS as the senior rushed for three touchdowns and added a fourth on a reception to pace the Bombers’ offensive attack while also picking off an IW pass in the first half.
“Carter was a weapon that we probably didn’t use as much as we had hoped over the first four weeks,” said Horrell. “It was just kind of the way the game went and we knew we had him in our back pocket. And the last three weeks, he’s just taken off, so big things are ahead for him.”
The first quarter ended in a 0-0 deadlock as both teams used a ball-control approach on offense to start.
Beginning at its own 26, Illini West would put together an 11-play drive that took over seven minutes off the clock before punting the ball away near midfield.
MHS responded with a drive that began at its own 12 and reached the Chargers’ three-yard line as the first quarter came to an end. On the first play of the second quarter, senior running back Drake May capped the 10-play, 88-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run at the 11:55 mark.
Hayden Katz added the point after kick to give the Bombers a 7-0 lead.
Illini West was held to three-and-out on its ensuing possession and following a punt, MHS took over at the Chargers’ 34.
Following consecutive false start penalties that moved the ball back to the IW 44, the Bombers needed only four plays to reach the end zone as senior quarterback Kaden Knupp found Havens open for a 31-yard touchdown toss with 6:54 to go in the first half.
Katz added the PAT to up the MHS lead to 14-0.
Illini West was forced to punt again on its next series, but the Chargers would quickly get the ball back when a Knupp pass was intercepted by Keagan Walker at the IW 30.
But, Havens got the ball right back for MHS by picking off a Liam Murphy pass to give the Bombers the ball at their own 40 with just under one minute remaining in the half.
On a third-and-one from the MHS 49, Havens broke free up the middle and raced 51 yards for a touchdown with only 24 seconds to go.
May would run in the two-point conversion attempt to give the Bombers a 22-0 halftime lead.
“That was kind of a busted play there,” said Horrell. “We misaligned our formation, and Carter still found a hole and was able to bust it through. He’s really tough to catch once he’s out in open space.”
MHS took the opening kickoff in the second half and Havens capped the four-play, 61-yard drive with another electrifying scoring gallop, this time on a 51-yard scamper with 9:46 to go in the third quarter.
Katz added to his school record for PATs to increase the lead to 29-0.
The MHS defense continued to stymie the Chargers’ offense, which had entered the contest averaging just over 35 points a game for the season.
On a fourth-and-8 near midfield, Murphy was sacked and fumbled the ball as MHS took over at the IW 34.
Havens would score his fourth touchdown of the game just four plays later on a 17-yard sprint with 2:29 remaining in the third quarter. Katz kicked the PAT to push the MHS lead to 36-0.
Illini West put together its best drive of the night late that started late in the third and continued into the fourth quarter. The Chargers marched 35 yards in 12 plays, but the drive stalled on downs at the MHS 32.
The Bombers would score one last time when senior tight end Kyler Norton scored on a two-yard toss from Knupp with just 3:36 to go. The touchdown capped a seven- play drive that covered 68 yards in about three minutes.
Katz was successful on his fifth PAT of the game to account for the final score.
MHS finished with 372 yards of total offense while holding Illini West to 109 yards - all on the ground.
Havens led the Bombers with 130 yards on six carries and three touchdowns while Colby Martin finished with 88 yards on 11 carries and May added 59 yards on six carries and one touchdown.
Knupp completed 7-of-9 passes for 92 yards and one touchdown along with one interception.
Norton finished with five catches for 51 yards and a touchdown while Havens caught two passes for 41 yards and one touchdown.
May led the MHS defense with two tackles and 13 assists while Cameron Keene added one tackle and 11 assists.
Caleb Schreake was the leading rusher for IW with 46 yards on 15 carries.
The loss dropped Illini West to 6-2 for the season and 3-1 in the division. The Chargers will travel to Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley on Saturday for a non-divisional regular season finale with the hope of getting several injured players healthy.
After already dealing with some injuries to his backfield, Lafferty watched as Jaxson Steinkamp had to be helped from the field right before halftime and did not return.
Lafferty, who is in his first year at the IW helm, knew the game would not only be a battle, but many people weren’t expecting his squad to be victorious especially since Macomb is currently in Class 4A of the Illinois High School Association classifications while Illini West is listed in Class 2A.
“The big approach to the game was, really, we’ve got everything to gain and nothing to lose,” said Lafferty. “That was really the mentality coming in and understanding all we can really do is come in and put our best foot forward.”
“I’m extremely proud of my guys...they didn’t hang their heads,” Lafferty continued. “They didn’t get down on themselves and they fought the whole game. (Macomb) has a lot of speed and their defensive backfield had some guys making plays on our run schemes because they’ve got good team speed.”
MHS improved to 7-1 overall and clinched the Lincolnland West championship with a 3-0 mark and one game remaining at Elmwood/Brimfield this Friday night.
On the injury front, May played throughout the contest with an injury to his foot, but Horrell believes his running back will be fine as his squad prepares for the Trojans followed by postseason play in a couple of weeks.
Horrell also knows another win this week is key to improving his team’s chances of receiving an opening- round bye before hosting a playoff game.
“Elmwood plays us tough every year,” said Horrell. “So, we’ve got to be ready to go. We need to get healthy, but we need to win a game.”
