Newman looked to its senior quarterback to make a play when it mattered most against Princeton in Friday’s matchup of two state-ranked teams.

Up 22-14 with five minutes left in the game, Evan Bushman found Tyson Williams for a jump ball touchdown in the corner of the end zone to help put the game away at Roscoe Eades Stadium in Sterling.

Bushman finished 15 of 19 passing for 230 yards and two touchdowns in the 28-14 win. He also found John Rowzee for a 27-yard connection on fourth down.

George Jungerman added 106 yards rushing and two touchdowns on the ground.

Newman came into the game ranked fourth in the Associated Press preseason poll in Class 1A, while Princeton was No. 6 in 3A.

“We’re so versatile. We have so many people who are athletes, from sophomore to senior, I trust everybody,” Bushman said. “Our word of the week was ‘confidence,’ and you could really see us play with a lot of confidence out there tonight.”

Dixon rolls in Rockford

The Dukes hit the ground running in a 47-8 win at Rockford Lutheran to open the season.

Dixon, tied for No. 8 with Metamora in the 4A AP preseason poll, scored 34 points in the first quarter in the win. It held Lutheran to just 48 yards while putting up 212 of its own.

Landon Knigge led the backfield with 80 yards and a touchdown while quarterback Jagger Kemp was 4 of 5 passing with two touchdowns in his debut.

The Dukes have a big home matchup with 3A No. 1 Byron this week. The Tigers beat Rock Falls 63-0 in Week 1.

“We’ll have things locked in and having our attention span on things and knowing what to do,” Knigge said. “I think it will be another great game just like last year. It’s going to be a physical, hard-playing game between two good teams.

“We always try to focus on discipline and everybody doing our jobs. If everybody does their job, we all succeed, and if one fails, we all fail.”

Milledgeville wins I8FA title rematch

The Missiles made a statement to open the 8-man football season on the road against the two-time defending champions from Amboy.

Milledgeville’s defense stepped up, and sophomore QB Kyson Francis threw three TDs in a 30-22 win over Amboy. Evan Schenck caught two TDs in the win.

“I’d say in the big moments we stepped up when we needed to,” Schenck said. “On those big third downs, fourth downs toward the end of the game, we shut them off.”

Milledgeville’s Karter Livengood also continued to show his versatility on the line and in the backfield.

“I just do my best to be as versatile for the team as I can,” he said. “I’m going to play the position that our team needs for us to succeed, and I’m willing to step into any role that my coach and my coaching staff has for us.”

Amboy coach Scott Payne said it was a learning experience for the team. It was also the first start for QB Tanner Welch.

“They have a lot of good players and we made some crucial mental mistakes at the wrong time,” he said. “You can’t do that in big games like this.”

Sterling falls at Metamora

The Golden Warriors were held to 168 yards of offense in a 43-14 loss to open the season. Sterling’s Brady Berlin was 11 of 16 passing for 115 yards and a touchdown pass to Quincy Maas. Maurice DeLaCruz led the backfield with five carries for 50 yards and a score.

E-PC’s Will Birchen is NUIC’s leader in tackles

At 346 tackles and counting, Eastland-Pearl City’s Will Birchen is reportedly the all-time leading tackler in Northwest Upstate Illini history.

Birchen had 11 tackles in a 52-20 win over Fulton to open the season. Dakota’s Matt Wenger previously held the record with 326 from 2003-05.

A-FC snaps losing skid

The Josh Stone era got off to a positive start as Ashton-Franklin Center beat West Prairie/Southeastern 28-18 to open the season in last Friday’s slate. The victory snapped a 16-game losing streak for the Raiders.

Area scoreboard

Newman 28, Princeton 14

Metamora 43, Sterling 14

Dixon 47, Rockford Lutheran 8

Byron 63, Rock Falls 0

Oregon 27, Genoa-Kingston 20

Lena-Winslow 50, Forreston 12

Eastland-Pearl City 52, Fulton 20

Galena 22, Morrison 14

St. Bede 47, Bureau Valley 6

West Carroll 42, West Central 0

Polo 55, Bushnell-Prairie City 0

Ashton-Franklin Center 28, West Prairie/Southeastern 18