Kishwaukee River Conference opponents have heard about Woodstock‘s ability to attack through the air. But Friday was Ray Hannemann’s day to show the state better respect the Richmond-Burton air game, too.

The Rockets quarterback threw for three touchdowns in the first half to pace Richmond-Burton in a 42-7 victory over the Blue Streaks in Richmond.

Using play action, Hannemann threw scoring plays of 63 and 41 yards to Luke Robinson. He also threw a beautiful 21-yarder to Jace Nelson in the corner of the end zone as Richmond-Burton remained unbeaten (5-0, 3-0 KRC).

“It’s a great game, but the three touchdown passes, they’re set up by a great run game the whole time,” said Hannemann, who finished 4-of-6 passing for 134 yards. “Our O-line played great, our running backs played great, and then when you finally pop a play action you have wide receivers wide open. Those linebackers just get caught and have bad eyes and you get touchdown passes.”

What might have been just as vital to a game that was up for grabs in the second quarter might have been some timely turnovers.

After a tough first quarter, the Blue Streaks (3-2, 1-2) put together a 13-play, 85-yard drive that ended with a 15-yard scoring pass from Caden Thompson to Jared Kay. That sliced the deficit to just 14-7 with 7:00 left in the half.

However, after Hannemann’s connection with Nelson on the next possession upped the advantage to 21-7, Woodstock muffed the ensuing kickoff, giving the ball back to Richmond-Burton. The Rockets cashed in three plays later when Hunter Carley broke a 28-yard touchdown run, and they never looked back.

Richmond-Burton forced one more turnover in the half as Luke Johnson picked off a Thompson pass near midfield.

“It was an instant replay from last year,” said Woodstock coach Mike Brasile, referring to the fact the Blue Streaks muffed a kickoff last year while trailing 14-7. “Anytime we play Richmond, it seems we string together five minutes of forgettable football, and then we settle down again. We can hang with those guys when that happens, but the wheels come off for a little while and it takes a little while for our pit crew to get the back on.”

Richmond-Burton’s run game took it from there, amassing 304 yards on the ground. Carley was the biggest beneficiary, rushing for 136 yards and a pair of scores. Riley Shea (43 yards rushing) added a touchdown while Johnson had 94 yards on seven carries.

After its lone touchdown drive, Woodstock didn’t get many opportunities. Thompson finished 11-for-20 passing for 104 yards, 60 of which went to Kay on four catches. Matthew Cress was held to just two receptions for five yards.

“They have good skill people,” R-B coach Mike Noll said. “Their quarterback is a very good player. I just think we had to be a little bit more patient with our linebackers. We made a few adjustments at halftime and did a little better I think.”