A wild 20-second stretch in the second quarter and a key sequence as time wound down in the fourth provided the big plays the Herscher Tigers needed to hand host Streator a 28-14 defeat. The game came on the Bulldogs’ 100th anniversary of their first homecoming and got the Tigers within one win of their first playoff berth since 2018.

Clinging to a one-point lead Friday with 7:05 remaining before halftime, Herscher (4-2 overall, 3-1 Illinois Central Eight) followed up a Tanner Jones tackle for loss – after it was Jones who delivered a 45-yard punt to back Streator up at its own 8 – with a safety when the Bulldogs were called for a penalty in the end zone.

Senior Mason Roberts then took the ensuing line-drive free kick at his own 30-yard line and zoomed up the west sideline into the end zone, giving the Tigers a sudden nine-point scoring burst without running an offensive play.

“All thanks to my blockers – my outside blockers especially, and the inside guys," Roberts said of his game-altering free-kick return. “I saw a lane to the outside, so I faked going inside and went outside. Just saw a lane and kept going, [and] catching it on the run, your momentum is already going forward.

“Yeah, it was big.”

Roberts added a 57-yard catch-and-run on a swing pass from Jones just before halftime for his second touchdown of the game to extend the Herscher lead to 22-6. He also added two interceptions on defense, but it was his free-kick return that changed the complexion of the game.

“Anytime he’s got the ball in his hands on a kickoff, you’ve got to be ready for what he can do,” Herscher coach Mike Mosier said of Roberts. “That was crazy, bang-bang, and that set the tone for us going into halftime.”

The Bulldogs (1-4 overall, 0-3 ICE), however, did not throw in the towel. After having its first drive of the second half end in a fumble at the Herscher 32, Streator forced a three-and-out compounded by a botched punt/sack by Bulldogs senior Aiiden Wilkinson and took advantage of a four-play, 24-yard drive ending in a Sam LeRette quarterback sneak into the end zone.

LA Moton ran in the two-point conversion, and Streator was back in the contest, trailing 22-14 late in the third.

There, the score would stay until the second sudden, game-altering sequence. With just under six minutes remaining and Streator in the midst of a long, time-consuming, potentially game-tying drive, a fumble at midfield was recovered by the Tigers’ Dylan Bright.

“That’s just one of those momentum-breakers we needed at that point,” Mosier said.

Five plays later, Jones (10-of-21 for 176 yards and two touchdowns; one rushing TD) off play action found Reed Laird all alone for a 34-yard touchdown that iced the ICE win.

“You’ve got to be disciplined in this game,” said Bulldogs coach Jay Slone, last year an assistant with Herscher. “I told the boys in [the locker room], I’m proud of them, but in tight games like that, the error margin is slim. ...

“Unfortunately, we had to learn that lesson. Moving forward, we’ve got to use it as a lesson learned.”

Herscher finished outgaining the Bulldogs 263-198 in yards from scrimmage, though Streator held the advantage on the ground 159-87, led by Leodies Jordan’s 21 carries for 93 yards and LeRette’s 10 for 47 and both Streator TDs. Sharonn Morton added 23 yards receiving from LeRette (5-of-13 for 39 yards and two interceptions, both by Roberts). Quintin Stevens had a tackle for loss and a pass defensed for the Streator defense.

For Herscher, in addition to the big games from Jones and Roberts (33 yards rushing, four receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown; two interceptions on defense), Jaxon Sukley (14 carries for 50 yards) and Aleksander Draper (two receptions for 46 yards) led the attack.

Herscher plays host to Reed-Custer in Week 7. Streator visits Wilmington.