September 28, 2002 1:09 AM
Rock Island
Holds off MolineBy Mark Nesseler,
Dispatch/Argus Sports editor
Nearing the final minute of Friday night's football game at Rock Island's Almquist
Field, a big play was destined to determine the winner between Rock Island and Moline.
With Rocky senior defensive end Chris Tuttle being a magnet for big plays, the Rocks
prevailed 14-6 in front of a crowd of 6,500.
The Maroons went for broke on a fourth-and-4 from the RI 38 with 1:24 left, with
quarterback Jake Bevans rolling out, intent on a touchdown pass. Tuttle, through, broke
through, causing his third big hurry of the game to force the incompletion.
``I'm disappointed it didn't go because we had two guys wide open,'' Moline coach Joel
Ryser said of the play. ``I'm sure we could have scored.
``They didn't let us get started. We couldn't handle their defensive ends.''
Apparently so, even if those defensive ends wind up in a wrong alignment.
``I was supposed to be on the opposive end, but there was nothing we could do because
it was too late,'' Tuttle said of Moline's final play. That would have put him opposite
the Maroons' mammoth lineman, Ben Amundsen. ``I knew I had to make a play.''
Tuttle got help from linebacker Nick Fleming, blitzing for the first time in the game.
``The intensity of the game was going through me,'' said the junior, Fleming. ``I thought
I got a piece of (Bevans) before `Tut' got there, but I'll give credit for the big play to
the senior leader.''
The Rocks remain undefeated at 5-0, 2-0 in the Western Big 6. Moline falls to 1-4, 1-1
in the conference, and now must win out to make the playoffs.
``We're getting better every week, but it's do-or-die every week now,'' said Ryser.
That starts next Friday at Quincy.
Moline can gain from holding their ground against the Class 7A No. 4-ranked Rocks.
``I haven't seen anyone else play them that hard,'' said Ryser. ``Nobody has defensed
them like that.'' Rock Island got a season-low 220 yards rushing and 13 first downs. No
Rocky back gained more the 68 yards achieved by John Saldana.
The difference in the game, though, was Rock Island's defense, led by Tuttle. Besides
the hurries, Tuttle also had a sack and two tackles-for-loss. Moline finished with just
132 yards rushing. Maroon back Larry Turner came into the game averaging 152 yards per
game. He was held to 91 on 20 carries.
``There wasn't a time that I didn't have confidence in our defense,'' said RI coach Vic
Boblett. ``That allows you to be more of a risk-taker.''
Such as opting against a 33-yard field goal by surefire kicker Jason Reda on the
opening drive. Instead, Moline stuffed a fourth-and-3 at the 15-yard line. He also didn't
attempt a 40-yarder with six minutes left in the game. Boblett said that decision was made
because his long-snapper, Kyle Each, has separated a shoulder earlier in the game.
Instead, Moline set up their final drive by stopping a fourth-and-3 at the 23.
The Rocks went up 14-0 on a pair of Keenan Wright touchdowns. Moline made in 14-6 after
capitalizing on a fumble. Aaron Cook recovered the ball on the RI 12 at the start of the
fourth quarter. Five plays later, Bevans leaped over his center from the 1 for the score.
However, Nathan Gibbs broke through to block the extra point.
-- Three injured by broken press-box glass: On that blocked extra point, an
over-excited RI assistant coach hit and broke a pane of glass in the press box. Three fans
sitting below were cut and taken to the hospital. The most serious of those was Dave
Chambers, who said he would need stitches on his head. ``That was about the third time
they did that,'' an angered Chambers said of the coaches in the press box. A police
officer on the scene said no charges would be filed against the coach unless one of the
fans pursued it.
-- Moline sophs prevail: Four different players -- Jerry Burkhead, Nick Acree,
Kevin Ryan and Brett Lamb -- scored TDs in Moline's 28-16 sophomore win. The Rocks led
16-14 on Adam Schneider's first field-goal, from 22 yards, in the second quarter, but
Moline scored twice in the third frame.
Copyright 2001, Moline Dispatch
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