June 30, 2025
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Yorkville surrenders points but captures 34-21 win over Plainfield South

By Jeff DeGraw
Yorkville Foxes logo

Yorkville logo

JOLIET - Yorkville came into Thursday night’s Southwest Prairie crossover game at Plainfield South with two consecutive shutouts early this season.

The shutout streak was stopped, as the Foxes (3-0) beat the Cougars, 34-21. But it wasn’t the Yorkville defense that gave up the first points for South. Anthony Blatchford picked up a Yorkville fumble and went 75 yards for the score with 6:30 left in the second quarter to bring the Cougars back in the game at 13-7.

But then the Cougars (1-2) did cash in on the Foxes defense twice, both in the second half as Janusz Pierscionek scored on a 6-yard run after the Cougars got a safety, and all of a sudden the score was 20-15.

The Foxes responded with a four-minute drive capped off with a 7-yard touchdown catch from Jake Davies. Ben Alvarez then had a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown to put the Foxes up 34-15 with 1:16 left in the third quarter.

South did respond with a touchdown, as Bobby Gonzalez caught a 50-yard pass to the 8-yard line, then scored on an 11-yard touchdown catch after a penalty to finish off the scoring.

Yorkville controlled the game offensively in the first half, as the Foxes had 111 yards rushing in the half. Gio Zeman had 93 of those on 14 carries. The Foxes also threw for 99 first-half yards. Zeman would end the game with 139 yards on 26 carries.

“It was different playing on a Thursday. It didn’t seem like the energy was there, but once we got started, it was the same,” Zeman said.

The first quarter in which Yorkville only led 7-0 saw both teams combine for 95 yards of penalties. The Foxes defense limited the Cougars offense to 27 total first-half yards.

Zeman scored the Foxes’ first touchdown of the game on a 6-yard run with 1:13 left in the first quarter that culminated a 60-yard drive that took seven minutes, made longer by penalties against both teams.

“I wasn’t happy with our discipline tonight, and we still have work to do,” Yorkville coach Dan McGuire said. “It’s crazy that we are already through the third week already, but as I said, still a ways to go, and we are only as good as our last game that we play.”

Blake Kersting scored the next Yorkville touchdown on a 37-yard pass from Michael Dopart with 10:58 left in the second quarter. Andrew Laurich scored on a 1-yard run to cap a 64-yard drive that took just over four minutes off the clock, with just 2:15 left before the break to make it a 20-7 halftime lead.

South’s Nicholas Spillar tackled the Foxes quarterback in the end zone for a safety on the first possession of the second half to cut the lead to 20-9, and the Pierscionek score made it 20-15.

“We showed life tonight, and that was a really good football team over there,” South coach Bill Bicker said. “We have to get creative with everything we do, because everyone is going to try and stop Brian [Stanton]. We knew it would be physical, and we made some plays, but we also made some mistakes.

“I don’t believe in moral victories, but I’m really proud of our kids tonight.”

Brian Stanton, the superb Cougars running back, was held to minus-9 yards rushing on 13 carries. Quarterback Connor Folliard was 10 for 19 for 80 yards and a touchdown.