April 29, 2024
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La Salle-Peru takes control in second half to beat Woodstock North

Cavs scored twice in 2.5 minutes in third quarter

By Kevin Chlum
Members of the L-P football team celebrate a touchdown scored by Josh Senica during the game at Howard Fellows Stadium against Woodstock North on Sept. 8, 2023.

Members of the L-P football team celebrate a touchdown scored by Josh Senica during the game at Howard Fellows Stadium against Woodstock North on Sept. 8, 2023. (Kyle Russell for Shaw Local News Network)

PERU – Going into halftime, the Woodstock North football team had the lead and all the momentum.

But La Salle-Peru quickly turned the tables in the third quarter.

The Cavaliers took advantage of two short fields to score two touchdowns in 2 1/2 minutes and led the rest of the way in a 35-24 victory Friday in the Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 Conference White Division opener for both teams at Howard Fellows Stadium.

“We were in a dogfight the entire game,” L-P coach Jose Medina said. “I’m really impressed with our kids. They came back the second half and really battled and really fought hard. Other than that one touchdown we gave them in the second half, we played pretty solid football.”

The Thunder scored a touchdown on an 8-yard run by Parker Halihan with 19.3 seconds left in the first half to take an 18-14 lead.

Brendan Boudreau soaks up every last yard while performing a quarterback rush in a game against Woodstock North at Howard Fellows Stadium on Sept. 8, 2023.

L-P quarterback Brendan Boudreau soaks up every last yard while performing a quarterback rush in a game against Woodstock North at Howard Fellows Stadium on Sept. 8, 2023. (Kyle Russell for Shaw Local News Network)

L-P’s Kaleb Kennedy picked up the ensuing squib kick, made a defender miss and took it down to the Thunder 2-yard line.

However, Woodstock North stopped L-P quarterback Brendan Boudreau on back-to-back runs to end the half with an 18-14 lead.

“We were feeling great at halftime,” Woodstock North coach Matt Polnow said. “But a similar thing happened Week 1 when we played Johnsburg. We had a lead at halftime [but lost 25-12].”

On Friday, the Cavs forced a three-and-out on the Thunder’s opening possession, and a bad snap on the punt gave L-P possession on Woodstock North’s 13-yard line.

Boudreau lofted a pass to the corner of the end zone on L-P’s first play, and Josh Senica leaped and grabbed it for a touchdown that gave L-P a 21-18 lead.

The Cavs held the Thunder to three-and-out again, and a short punt gave L-P possession on Woodstock North’s 48.

On L-P’s second play, Brady Romagnoli broke through the Thunder defense and raced for a 38-yard touchdown to extend the Cavaliers’ lead to 28-18.

Woodstock North's Parker Halihan rolls into the end zone for a touchdown against L-P at Howard Fellows Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023.

Woodstock North's Parker Halihan rolls into the end zone for a touchdown against L-P at Howard Fellows Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. (Kyle Russell for Shaw Local News Network)

“We came out with more energy,” Boudreau said. “The first drive we got the three and out then scored on the first play.

“It got us back in the game. I feel like if they would have drove the ball, it would have been like a punch in our stomach, but (scoring quickly) got the fans happy, got all of us happy. It got us all energetic and ready to go again.”

The Thunder scored once more on a 24-yard run by QB Landan Creighton, but the Cavs forced a punt and Romagnoli picked off a pass on Woodstock North’s final two drives.

Boudreau put the exclamation point on the win with a 4-yard TD run – his second of the game – with 3:51 left.

In the first half, Woodstock North forced a three-and-out to start the game then quickly scored.

Fullback David Randecker broke free for a 71-yard run and two penalties pushed the Thunder to the 5-yard line. Randecker punched it in from 5 yards out.

L-P responded with an 8-yard pass from Boudreau to Kennedy for a score on its next drive.

The Thunder answered with an 80-yard drive capped with their first pass attempt of the game, which Creighton completed to Maxwell Dennison for a 3-yard TD on fourth-and-goal.

Boudreau gave L-P a 14-12 lead with 3:22 left before halftime, but the Thunder responded with another 80-yard scoring drive that ended with Halihan’s TD with 19.3 seconds left.

“We played hard,” Polnow said. “We just couldn’t come up with it. La Salle-Peru is a tough team and we knew it coming in. We were hoping in the second half to continue what we were doing in the first half, but we just had a couple drives they stopped us on and we couldn’t bounce back from their scoring drives.”

Boudreau finished 12-of-15 passing for 143 yards and two TDs while rushing for 48 yards and two scores, while Romagnoli ran for 98 yards and a touchdown.

Randecker rushed for 128 yards and a TD on 20 carries in his first start at fullback, while Creighton ran for 90 yards and a TD and threw for 45 yards and a TD.