New Streator head coach Jay Slone promised “old-school football” ahead of the Bulldogs’ season- and home-opening Week 1 contest against the visiting Decatur Eisenhower Panthers.

Slone and his Bulldogs delivered.

Streator ran 62 offensive plays to Eisenhower’s 33, outgained the Panthers by over 300 yards, and did it all without completing a single pass in Friday night’s 36-14 victory at Doug Dieken Stadium.

“You’ve got to give all the credit to our kids,” Slone said after his first career varsity head coaching victory. “They’re very resilient, and they’re just very hungry.

“I tip my hat to the boys, because they’re very coachable. They make it easy for me just because of the characters that they are.”

Running out of a new-look wing-style option offense, Streator (1-0) rang up 393 yards of offense – all on the ground – on 56 carries, good for a 7.0 yards-per-carry average.

The two centerpieces of that option, junior QB Sharonn Morton and senior RB Leodies Jordan, were the main beneficiaries of that dedication to the run and a dominating offensive line performance. Morton finished with 17 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown; Jordan with 23 carries for 138 yards and three TDs.

“Passion, belief,” Jordan said of what carried Streator through what was a 14-14 tie game with under a minute to go in the second quarter. “You know, our coach says we’re going to be the most conditioned, and we’re going to go out there and push hard no matter what happens. ...

“And I have to give credit to my line.”

The Streator line was impressive.

“You know, they did exactly what I asked them to do,” Slone said of his linemen. “Play between the whistles, play hard, know your job and have fun out there. I think that’s exactly what they did.

“They did so well as a collective.”

The Bulldogs struck first, forcing an Eisenhower punt and then driving 79 yards on eight plays, Jordan cashing it in with a 7-yard score.

The Panthers (0-1) answered with a 14-yard touchdown run from dual-threat QB Garryon Henderson (41 yards passing, 42 yards rushing on the night) to tie it 6-6 and replied to Jordan’s second rushing touchdown early in the second quarter with a 37-yard Henderson TD pass to Caleb Cliff later in the second.

A big special teams play allowed the Bulldogs to retake the lead just before halftime. Jerrad Clark blocked a punt, scooped up by Aiden Ferris at the Eisenhower 8-yard line. One play later, Morton took a keeper into the end zone and ran in the ensuing two-point conversion, and the Bulldogs were ahead 22-14 at the break.

Aiiden Wilkinson tackled Henderson in the end zone for a safety midway through the third quarter, and after the free kick, Jordan ran in his third touchdown to all but ice the game away, 30-14.

“I believe so,” Decatur Eisenhower coach DuJuan Johnson said when asked if he thought the Bulldogs’ running game wore his team down. “We tell our guys every day, ‘We’ve got to get in shape, we’ve got to get conditioned, we’ve got to get ready,’ and that’s one of the things we’re talking to our guys about now [after the loss]. ...

“We have some grit. We didn’t give up.”

Backup QB Sam LeRette ran in a 2-yard keeper in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring.

Streator’s defense held Eisenhower to 83 yards from scrimmage, led by Riley Stevens (two sacks, fumble recovery, 1 1/2 tackles for loss), Jordan (2 1/2 sacks), Wilkinson (safety, TFL) and Luke Gebhardt (1 1/2 sacks, forced fumble).

The Bulldogs – who defeated Eisenhower 20-12 in Decatur to open last season – will visit Ottawa in Week 2 to renew the state’s third-oldest rivalry, one dating back to 1894.