Rocky escapes thriller
over Rockford Boylan
By Marc Nesseler, Sports editor
November 10, 2002 12:30 AM
Rock Island 31, Rockford Boylan 26
The Rock Island Rocks had just endured a frantic Class 6A playoff football finish of 4
minutes and 28 seconds against Rockford Boylan that included 55 percent of the game's
scoring.
More specifically in this more-than-thrill-a-minute ending to a 31-26 RI victory, there
were three touchdowns -- two involving lead changes -- in a span of 1 minute, 20 seconds,
with clock finally ticking down to an onside kickoff recovery by Rocky with :36 left.
Yet, when asked to explain such a frenzied change of pace down the stretch, RI coach
Vic Boblett came up empty.
``I really can't tell you,'' he said, ``other than it being 17-year-olds stepping up
and doing what they had to do.''
And even though so much happened in the final minutes, Rocky receiver Mike Adamson, who
came through with a clutch fourth-quarter, 4th-down-and-6 catch, also was bewildered.
``I can't put it into words,'' Adamson said. ``It's so thrilling, I really don't know
what to say.''
RI quarterback Tom DeBroeck was able to offer two worthy descriptive words -- ``Intense
... and scary,'' he offered.
Thus, the 10-1 Rocks, a No. 2 6A quadrant seed, find themselves back in the state
quarterfinals for the first time since 1999. They'll travel next Saturday for the first
time this postseason, facing No. 5-seed Crystal Lake South (8-3), a 28-13 winner Friday
over No. 1 Freeport.
Boylan, which eliminated the Rocks in the second round two years ago, ends its season
at 8-3.
Boblett stopped short of calling it the most thrilling finish he'd seen. ``There were a
lot of big plays through the course of the game that made those situations possible,'' he
said.
Bouyed by TD runs by John Saldana and Dillon Smith that followed Boylan turnovers, the
Rocks jumped out to a 14-0 lead. Boylan pulled to within 14-12 by holding the Rocks
scoreless until Reda's 25-yard field goal with 4:28 left in the game. Still, it's the 4:28
worth of offensive firepower after over 3 1/2 quarters of defensive struggle that will be
remembered.
Chief among the offensive attention-grabbers will be catches by Adamson and Ryan -- the
latter a leaping, flipping circus version -- that were separated only by a two-yard Ryan
run.
``Fingertips,'' Ryan, a 5-foot-6 junior, said of how he made the grab. He was intent on
a pass that was well over his head. ``I barely got it. I was just thinking I had to go up
and then get it.''
With Adamson being a senior, he knew just how much was at stake on his fourth-down
catch. ``That was the season, right there,'' he said. ``I had to come through. I just
wanted to look the ball into my hands and get the first down.''
There was a touch of defense in the final 4 1/2 minutes, and it was just enough to
supply the Rocks with its cushion to hold off the Titans. Nick Fleming intercepted a pass
with 1:20 left in the game to put the Rocks up 31-20.
Despite the 11-point lead, Fleming knew the game was far from over. He had witnessed
enough in the minutes prior not to convince him otherwise.
``They still had a lot of fire in their eyes,'' Fleming said of the Boylan offense. ``I
could see it. I knew we had to have plenty of fight left.''
Just 44 seconds later, Boylan followed with its second fourth-quarter TD pass from Matt
Weber to Eric Bryant to make it 31-26. However, when the Titans tried to pull to within a
field goal of the Rocks, Weber was whistled for an illegal forward pass on the two-point
conversion when what looked like an airborne forward fumble beyond the line of scrimmage
was caught by a Titan receiver.
Of the game's 654 yards of total offense (360 by Boylan), 276 of those came in the
final quarter.
Copyright 2001, Moline Dispatch
Publishing Co. |
