In a defensive slobberknocker Saturday, Amboy’s offense found the gear it needed in the second half to defeat Milledgeville 18-8 in their Illinois 8-Man Football Association state semifinal at The Harbor.

After a first half of stingy defense for both teams, the Clippers controlled the clock with two long second-half drives and added a long touchdown run to close out the victory and earn their fourth straight trip to the I8FA state championship game.

“We started off slow, just not as fast as we’d like to, but we knew we had to stay physical, keep pounding the ball, and we’d get out of the game with that W,” Amboy running back Jose Lopez said. “The line did everything they had to coming out of halftime, everything we talked about. We made a few adjustments and everybody did what they needed to do and it opened the game wide open.”

Amboy (11-1) rode Lopez’s hot hand to the tune of 205 yards and three TDs on 30 carries, and his 48-yard touchdown run with 54.7 seconds to play was the final dagger.

Milledgeville (11-1) trailed 6-0 at halftime, the only points coming after Amboy blocked a punt on the opening possession and scored after taking over at the Missiles’ 17-yard line.

But the offenses combined for just 125 yards in the first half. Amboy gained all 87 yards on the ground and held Milledgeville to 24 yards rushing, 14 yards passing and two first downs.

“It was mostly just read our keys, make sure we all rally to the football, and just play Amboy football,” fullback/linebacker Caiden Heath said.

It could have been worse for the Missiles, who stopped Amboy inside the 10-yard line on one drive and halted two more in their own territory.

“The first half, we were basically in the shadow of our own goalpost, just terrible field position, and then they blocked that punt and got a short field – and if you give a team like that a 17-yard field, they’re going to score a touchdown,” Milledgeville coach Jason Wroble said. “I thought the first half we battled, and I thought we were lucky to be in the game only down 6-0. I thought they controlled the game, but our defense did a good job and got a goal-line stand and a couple of other stops.”

The teams traded turnovers on downs to start the second half, then the Clippers put together a nine-play, 72-yard drive that ended when Milledgeville’s Ian Rayhorn stripped Lopez at the 6-yard line as Lopez was being pushed forward by his linemen.

But Amboy forced a three-and-out, then covered 65 yards in 11 plays that ended with Lopez’s second short touchdown run for a 12-0 lead with 5:10 left.

“Our backs were doing everything, and Cody Winn got into the linemen’s ears and said, ‘The backs are doing everything for us, we’ve got to set the tone and help them out,’” Heath said. “We drove the ball right down the field and made it happen.”

The Missiles answered quickly. Kyson Francis hit Spencer Nye on a short pass on first down, and Nye pitched it back to Karter Livengood on a hook-and-ladder play that gained 42 yards. Livengood scored from 6 yards out three plays later, then ran in the two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 12-8.

Konner Johnson then recovered the ensuing onside kick, and Milledgeville had the ball at the Amboy 45 with 3:55 to go.

But after a first down, a bad snap put the Missiles at third-and-24 from the Amboy 45, and two incomplete passes under heavy pressure turned the ball over on downs.

“Down the stretch there, I thought we made some plays and maybe had a shot, but just came up short,” Wroble said. “We scored, then we get the onside kick and we’re right back in it. But you’ve got to win every play, and we didn’t do that. That one snap, we’re going to look back and say, ‘What if?’, but there were other plays leading up to that too. Our guys kept fighting, and I’m proud of this team and how they finished. That’s just a good football team over there.”

Lopez put the nail in the coffin three plays later, breaking away for the long touchdown run, and Trevor Stenzel’s sack ended the final Milledgeville possession.

The Clippers had 281 of their 292 yards on the ground, with Heath (35 yards) and Colt McCoy (43 yards) complementing Lopez.

The Missiles finished with 153 total yards; Evan Schenck led the way with 50 yards rushing and 40 yards receiving. Francis was 8-for-18 passing for 85 yards.

“We had a lot of push from the front, and that’s where it all starts, right in the trenches,” Lopez said. “They stepped up, filled the holes and didn’t let them get going or make any big plays.”