Dixon rolls past Rock Falls and into playoffs

ROCK FALLS – Dixon scored on its first three possessions on the way to its 46-13 victory over Rock Falls on Friday.

Dixon is 6-3, clinching a postseason berth. The team celebrated in its end zone with a leaping, joyous huddle.

Rock Falls finished at 1-8, a bittersweet season in which coach Kevin Parker’s son, Brock, a lineman, was killed midseason in an automobile accident and the team played through its grief.

From the first time it touched the ball, Dixon played assertively, going 36 yards on a pair of running plays.

On its fourth play from scrimmage, Jacob Gaither ran right on a keeper and raced upfield on a 29-yard touchdown run at 10:41 of the first quarter.

An interception by Brody Potter gave Dixon the ball again. Two plays later, Gaither again chose to run, this time up the left side, going 25 yards for a touchdown. He also ran in the PAT, and Dixon led 14-0 at 9:17 of the first quarter.

The Dixon quarterback was under center for just the second time since recovering from surgery to repair a broken and dislocated finger on his throwing hand.

“We’re all playing like a team,” Gaither said. “We’re meshing together well.”

After Dixon’s defense forced a three-and-out, a pair of big runs by Zavion Johnson set the Dukes up for another scoring play. Gaither set up to pass and Mason Randick took advantage of single coverage. He raced down along the sideline and Gaither lofted a pass that Randick reeled in with a basket catch on a 29-yard touchdown play. The extra point kick failed, but Dixon was firmly in front 20-0.

In addition to having Gaither back, Dixon returned other players to the lineup, too. Things are coming together, coach Jared Shaner said.

“We’ve had some linemen who’ve been in and out. We’ve had some sickness, some injuries, things like that,” he said. “We feel like we’re getting healthy at the right time. And we came out of tonight’s game healthy. That’s a good position to be in.”

The team will be assembled together Saturday night when the Illinois High School Association announces Dixon’s seeding and opponent for the Class 4A playoffs.

Dixon appeared headed for another Gaither score, when he kept the ball and rumbled forward, shaking off tacklers. But he finally got hit enough to jar the ball loose, and Rock Falls covered the ball on the turnover.

Dixon was back at it on its next possession, however. This time Rylan Ramsdell took the handoff and hit the line with a burst of speed. He bolted forward and Rock Falls’ defenders couldn’t catch him as he ran 57 yards for the touchdown. That made it 26-0 at 8:55 of the second quarter.

Dixon’s final score of the half was a 6-yard touchdown run by Johnson, punching it in with 41 seconds remaining for a 32-0 lead

Johnson had 118 yards at halftime. Gaither had 109 rushing yards.

In addition to the interception, the Dixon defense forced four Rock Falls fumbles, taking away two of them.

Rock Falls moved the ball into Dixon territory three times. The deepest was to the 27-yard line.

Most of the second half was played under a running clock.

Dixon’s Johnson scored on a 21-yard run at 9:01 of the third. In the fourth, reserve quarterback Tyler Shaner threw a touchdown pass of a yard to Chance Perales.

Rock Falls got on the board when quarterback Booker Cross threw two touchdown passes, both to receiver Baraka Boards. One was a 51-yarder at 6:55 of the third period, and the other covered 25 yards at 2:42 of the fourth.