Maurice De La Cruz breaks out in big comeback

Going from down 19 to winning 49-28 at United Township last Friday, Sterling opened some eyes after such an impressive comeback against one of the favorites in the Western Big 6 Conference.

Not only did the Golden Warriors turn a 19-3 deficit into a blowout, but the offense also scored its most points since a 50-0 win over Payton College Prep in 2023.

Sterling (2-1, 1-1) outscored UT (3-1, 1-1) 39-7 in the second half as Maurice De La Cruz finished with 127 yards rushing and three TDs on just 13 carries.

It was Sterling’s best rushing performance since Kael Ryan ran for 241 yards and three TDs against UT in 2022 on Oct. 21. Antonio Tablanta also ran for 150 yards and four TDs in that same game.

De La Cruz now leads the team with 199 yards rushing and four TDs on 27 carries.

Last Friday, Brady Berlin finished 11-of-19 passing for 101 yards and a touchdown to Quincy Maas. Sterling also got a safety on a bad end-zone snap by UT, and Wyatt Cassens added a rushing TD.

Deseo Ibarra-Castillo had 14 tackles (7 solo) and a sack, Cassens had a sack, Gavino Munoz-Ripley had a sack and Cobey Shipma had an interception.

Dixon dominant again

After falling to top-ranked Byron, the Dukes have outscored Rock Falls and North Boone 118-0. Dixon (3-1, 3-1) has allowed just five TDs all season, with four of them coming in the 28-7 loss to the Tigers.

Dixon scored all 48 of its points in the first half against the Vikings last Friday.

Landon Knigge led the backfield with 139 yards and two scores on just eight carries and also caught a score from Jagger Kemp. Dixon held North Boone to just 83 total yards, including eight on the ground.

Newman’s Matthew Blackert has big game

Newman’s speedy tailback showed why he is nicknamed “the Harmon Bullet” in the Comets’ 40-14 win at Orion.

Newman, which entered the game ranked No. 3 in the Class 1A Associated Press poll, improved to 4-0 and 2-0 in the Three Rivers Rock.

It was a dominant performance against a team coming off a 27-point win over Mercer County in which Kale Filler threw six touchdowns, five to Owen Vorhees. The Comets kept the dangerous duo in check, thanks in part to their pass rush and winning at the line of scrimmage.

“We were focused all week,” said Blackert, who is from Harmon. “We were all committed. Watching film, in the weight room, dialed in all week.

“We knew if we play as a team, we’ll win as a team.”

Blackert’s final run was a 59-yard burst as Newman scored 40 points or more for the second week in a row.

“He can play anywhere, and he just seems to never gas out,” LeMay said. “That’s just great. He’s an awesome leader of this team.”

Polo looking for a bounce-back

The past few seasons, the Marcos have been a resilient bunch. After suffering tough losses, they’ve come back stronger and played better.

They’re looking for more of that next week.

After rival Milledgeville turned a two-point game into a 28-6 victory in Friday’s Battle for the Blacktop, Polo coach Ted Alston is looking for his team to learn from the loss and use it as fuel going forward.

“The thing is, you’re going to have games like this, and it’s all in how the kids respond,” he said. “A tough loss like this has happened to us before in the last couple of years, where we’ve gotten beat pretty bad, and in the past, our kids have responded very well, they’ve worked harder and gotten better, and it’s going to be a test to see how these kids respond now.”

Two named to FND Team of the Week

Newman’s Matthew Blackert and Milledgeville’s Karter Livengood each earned a spot on the Friday Night Drive Team of the Week for Week 4. Blackert tied for the third-most votes at tailback after he ran for 171 yards and three scores against Orion. Livengood got the nod at receiver after he caught TD passes of 33 and 49 yards in the win over Polo.

Area scoreboard

• Dixon 48, North Boone 0
• Sterling 49, United Township 28
• Newman 40, Orion 14
• Oregon 49, Rock Falls 0
• Amboy 46, Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland 18
• West Carroll 48, River Ridge 0
• Milledgeville 28, Polo 6
• Macomb 42, Bureau Valley 16
• Forreston 36, Morrison 21
• Stockton 49, Fulton 0
• Rockridge 29, Erie-Prophetstown 12
• Eastland-Pearl City 30, Fennimore 18