Dwight looked dominant in all three phases of the game in Saturday’s IHSA Class 1A second-round playoff game against Clifton Central.

With two defensive touchdowns and another one on special teams, the No. 12 seed Trojans ended up scoring as many touchdowns when not on offense as they did when possessing the ball in a 43-14 upset of the No. 4 Comets.

The Trojans (7-4) earned a second straight quarterfinal berth for the first time in school history, with last year’s appearance coming in Class 2A.

They will play No. 1 Stockton next weekend.

Starting quarterback/safety Collin Bachand had a 49-yard pick six in the second quarter. He added 49-yard strip-and-score in the third quarter to cap a 33-0 run that saw Dwight turn a 6-3 deficit into a 36-3 lead in just over 15 minutes of game time.

“It feels great to play a team game like we did, and it feels great have our defense show out because there’s been questions about our defense against spread offenses,” Bachand said. “We showed that we can play against anybody.”

The defense forced five turnovers in all, with Bachand’s pick six early in the second quarter being the first. He had a second interception the possession prior to his second defensive touchdown while Asher Kargle and Joe Duffy also had a pick apiece.

Lineman Will Anderson also blocked and recovered a punt in the second quarter and then ran it 10 yards for a touchdown.

Anderson looked a bit surprised when the ball bounced right up into his hands, doing a bit of a double take while Central’s punt team realized what was happening and started closing in.

“I knew I should just start running to the end zone in the end,” he said.

Anderson also batted down a pass as part of the defense that forced an explosive Central offense to tie its season low in points.

With a little help from rainy conditions, especially in the second half, the defense also made things tough on Central quarterback Brady Shule, who last week broke the team’s single season passing yardage and touchdown records.

The Trojans ended up holding Shule to 16 of 34 passing for 123 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions.

“Obviously on defense, we shut them down,” Anderson said. “We had a lot of pressure back on the quarterback, and that was the biggest part of the game. We had to push them back and make sure they didn’t have too much time to pass the ball.”

While the defensive and special teams touchdowns may stand out, Dwight’s offense was also solid.

Bachand was not called on much in the passing game, going 2 of 6 for 53 yards and an interception, with both completions going to Duffy.

Ayden Collom had 80 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries while Evan Cox finished with 138 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.

“I love getting the win, and being the underdogs every week adds fuel to the fire for us as well,” he said. “I think it starts in the summer, just working hard and going to lifting and going to practice every day, and just being really good friends on and off the field.”

Dwight dropped to Class 1A this season after the conclusion of a co-op with Gardner-South Wilmington led to a smaller team. But some players stepped into heightened roles and kept the Trojans on track.

“We’re small but mighty,” head coach Luke Standiford said. “We’ve got 27 kids in our program, and all 27 of them play a very important role.

“...Us being down with our numbers and being able to do what we’ve done this season, it’s remarkable and I’m super proud of them.”

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Football: Dwight vs. Clifton Central, Class 1A second round playoffs Dwight's Will Anderson runs for a touchdown after blocking a punt during Dwight's 43-14 victory over Clifton Central in second round playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. (Jake Carr for Shaw Local News Network)

For Central (9-2), the loss brought an end to a resurgent season.

The Comets picked up their first postseason win since 2019 last week, and while Central alum and first-year head coach Jeff Perzee said the team had hoped to keep things rolling, it was a season he will always remember.

“It was my first year as head coach, so everything was magical,” he said. “It was just magical working with the coaches, our parents were amazing. It was a magical first season. It just sucks it has to come to an end.”

“...I’m so proud of them, and my heart breaks for them, the seniors. They worked so hard.”