Sterling High School Athletics

Faced with the daunting challenge of having to beat the same team in consecutive weeks, the SHS Football team responded with a 23-6 victory over LaSalle-Peru in the first round of the IHSA 5A playoffs Friday at Roscoe Eades Stadium. The win comes one-week after beating the Cavaliers 27-7 to claim the NCIC-Reagan championship.

Sterling (8-2) takes a seven game winning streak into a second round road game next week against Washington (10-0). Game day and time will be announced Monday.

Sterling dug itself an early hole as LP moved 76 yards for a touchdown on the first drive of the game. The Cavaliers scored when QB Sam Renk found a wide-open Ryan Kurkowski for 51-yard touchdown. LP missed the extra point and led 6-0.

Sterling’s defense responded after that, holding LP scoreless for the next eight possessions and final 45-minutes of the game.

Sterling struggled to get its high-powered running game going against a fired up LP defense. The Golden Warriors had just 40-yards of total offense late in the second quarter when the game changed on special teams.

LP lined up to attempt a punt from its own 31-yard line, and after a fumbled snap the Cavalier punter was mugged under by a slew of Sterling defenders at the LP 21 yard line with 1:00 to play before halftime.

Two plays later, faced with a third and 12 from the LP 23, Sterling QB Drew Neubauer completed a pass to Dylan Eilers at the LP 10. Eilers held on to the ball after taking a big hit, remained on his feet, broke another tackle near the five-yard line and waltzed into the end zone for the game-tying touchdown – his third touchdown reception over the last four games. Soloman Ocampo then barely slid the extra point kick inside the left upright to put Sterling up 7-6.

The Warriors had the lead at halftime despite recording just 62 yards of total offense.

Sterling doubled that total in the first three plays of the second half. On the third play of the third quarter, Sterling’s Corey Judd broke free from the LP defense and scampered 53 yards for a touchdown – his 20th rushing touchdown of the season, becoming Sterling’s first player since Doug Densmore in 1995 to score 20 or more touchdowns in a season. Sterling’s scoring drive covered 63 yards.

LP drove inside the Sterling ten-yard line on the ensuing possession, but a fumbled snap cost the Cavaliers eight yards of field position and they were unable to convert on fourth and goal.

Sterling’s offense then went three and out, forcing a punt from the Warrior 25-yard line. Marcos Rivera then unleashed a rocket-of-a-punt that did not quit rolling until it reached the LP eight-yard line – a season-best 67-yard effort, pinning the Cavaliers back against their goal line.

After LP gained just two yards, the Cavaliers’ punting game hurt them again. Another bobbled snap resulted in Alec Mcleary attempting to run out of his own end zone. He did not make it, was tackled for a safety (by none other than Marcos Rivera) and a 16-6 Golden Warrior advantage midway through the third quarter.

On its next possession following the free-kick, Sterling drove to the LP one-yard before being turned away on downs.

After taking the ball out to the 24-yard line, LP’s drive stalled, forcing another punt, which resulted in another bobbled snap, which gave Sterling the ball at the Cavalier six. Three plays later, Chevy Bushaw bulled his way into the end zone to account for the final margin of victory.

LP attempted to punt five times, but only got two of them off. The three punting mishaps directly led to 16 Sterling points.

Sterling’s defense held LP to just 88 yards of total offense over the final 45 minutes of the game
Sterling’s starting defense has allowed just four touchdowns over the last seven games, with three of the four coming on the opponent’s first possession
Judd went over the 100 yard rushing mark for the seventh time in ten games with 106 on 19 carries. He now has 1293 yards this season – which ranks eighth in recorded SHS history. Next on the list is Jeff Sellers with 1348 in 1973.
Sterling has now won opening round playoff games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1995, after defeating Kaneland 23-21 last season.
Sterling breaks a string of seven consecutive losses in playoff games played at night
Sterling is now 9-14 all-time in the first round of the playoffs