WOODSTOCK – Woodstock North running back Casey Dycus didn’t have a single rush before the second quarter Friday against Burlington Central.

Playing with a broken right wrist that he suffered in a loss to Richmond-Burton Sept. 23, Dycus moved from fullback to wingback, accommodating another loss in the Thunder backfield when Collin Mergl left last week's game against Johnsburg with a sprained knee.

Chris Flores moved to fullback and took the most reps in the first quarter, while Dycus moved to wing.

"It's been kind of musical chairs with personnel," Thunder coach Jeff Schroeder said. "We have kids rotating in and out on offense all over. ... It's tough even trying to remember who is in there sometimes."

In the second half, it was Dycus who did most of the heavy lifting.

Playing with a hard cast, Dycus provided the go-ahead score for the Thunder, a 3-yard punch, and added a two-point conversion run with 7:02 left. North's defense came up with two critical stops late, and the Thunder held on for a 22-16 Kishwaukee River Conference victory.

The win makes the Thunder (5-2 overall, 3-2 KRC) playoff eligible after finishing with four wins the past two years. The Thunder can host a playoff game if they win their final two against Woodstock and Rock Falls.

"We had some miscues here and there because we have kids playing new positions, but this win means everything for us," Schroeder said. The kids have worked for it and they earned it."

Dycus finished with 59 yards on 19 carries and the score, and added a one-handed 12-yard catch on third-and-14 on a drive that was extended with a four-yard run by Joe Grover and capped with the touchdown by Dycus.

Flores (27 yards on 10 carries) scored the Thunder's first touchdown in the second quarter after the Rockets scored on a 32-yard run by Dionte Pierre.

"The line was fired up ... and they were just driving," Dycus said. "When they do their jobs, it makes my job so much easier. The day I got (home) from the hospital and my cast came in, I got a ball and started running lefty."

While Dycus provided the go-ahead score, it was quarterback Matt Zinnen who led the team with 95 yards on 18 carries. Trailing 14-7 at halftime, Zinnen zig-zagged 43 yards on the third play of the third quarter for a touchdown to even the score.

Burlington Central (1-6, 1-3) re-took the lead on a safety with 5:03 left in the fourth after punting to North's 1-yard line. But sophomore Clayton Truman, playing for Mergl on defense, leaped for the game-ending interception with 1:50 left as Burlington Central was driving late.

"I'm just waiting to get up in that locker room," Truman said. "We're going to go crazy, and have a blast. We're playoff eligible now, and I hope we bring it to Woodstock next week."

UNSUNG HERO

Clayton Truman, Woodstock North, so., TE/LB

Playing his first varsity minutes, Truman intercepted Burlington Central QB Johnny DiCostanzo at the Thunder 24-yard line with 1:50 remaining to seal the win for the Thunder. QUICK STATS

Burlington Central 7 7 2 0 – 16

Woodstock North 0 7 7 8 – 22 First quarter

BC–Pierre 32 run (Fay kick), 8:04

Second

WN–Flores 3 run (Chase kick), 5:09

BC–Figurski 85 blocked kick return (Fay kick), 1:12

Third

WN–Zinnen 43 run (Chase kick), 10:34

BC–Safety, 5:03

Fourth

WN–Dycus 3 run (Dycus run), 7:02

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Burlington Central: Fay 13-56, Pierre 11-73, DiCostanzo 12-57. Totals: 36-186. Woodstock North: Zinnen 18-95, Dycus 19-59, Flores 10-27, Grover 2-4. Totals: 49-185.

PASSING–Burlington Central: DiCostanzo 9-14-1-100, Fay 0-1-0-0.  Woodstock North: Zinnen 1-5-0-13

RECEIVING–Burlington Central: VanAcker 5-45, Dietz 3-47, Anderson 1-8. Woodstock North: Dycus 2-13.

TOTAL YARDS: Burlington Central 286, Woodstock North 198.

AND ANOTHER THING…

Woodstock North linebacker Nicholas Kuretski stuffed Burlington Central RB Dionte Pierre in the backfield for a short loss on fourth-and-4 from the Thunder 5-yard line with 3:34 left in the fourth, giving the ball back to the Thunder offense.