NewsTribune football notebook: Hall’s Mac Resetich had record-setting night

St. Bede, Princeton are playoff eligible

Hall senior Mac Resetich turned in a record-setting performance Friday.

Resetich ran the ball 30 times for 429 yards – an average of 14.3 yards per carry – and scored seven touchdowns in the Red Devils’ 65-44 win over Mendota in Spring Valley.

Resetich’s 429 rushing yards shattered Hall’s school record of 344 set by Landon Piccatto against Kewanee in 2012.

Mac Resetich

Hall coach Randy Tieman said he was told Leon Mavity had six touchdowns in a game in the 1950s.

“Mac works extremely hard all week,” Tieman said. “His work ethic is second to none. Our line is blocking a lot better and our receivers are getting down field blocks.”

Resetich’s performance also was among the best in state history.

His 429 rushing yards rank 16th in state history, while his seven rushing TDs are tied for 13th in a game in state history.

Resetich now has 1,018 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on 105 carries this season.

PLAYOFF OUTLOOK

With the season more than halfway over, the playoff picture is starting to take shape for area teams.

St. Bede and Princeton are 5-0 and are playoff eligible. The Bruins and Tigers need one more win to automatically qualify for the postseason.

La Salle-Peru sits at 3-2 and needs two more wins to become playoff eligible. The Cavaliers’ remaining schedule is home against Woodstock (2-3), at Ottawa (3-2), home against Sycamore (5-0) and at Kaneland (3-2).

Hall and Mendota are both 2-3 and must win three of their final four games to become playoff eligible, while Bureau Valley and Fieldcrest are both 1-4 and must win out.

SECOND QUARTER SURGE

Princeton has been explosive in the second quarter the past two weeks to put games out of reach.

Last week against Kewanee, the Tigers led 12-0 after the first quarter before scoring 44 points in the second quarter to build a 56-0 halftime lead.

Quarterback Teegan Davis threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Noah LaPorte on the first play of the second quarter to start the onslaught.

Davis ran for a 3-yard score, Augie Christiansen rushed for a 59-yard TD, LaPorte returned an interception 47 yards for a score, Ian Morris recovered a fumble for a touchdown and Davis capped the scoring with a 26-yard TD run.

The Tigers did the same thing the week prior at Mendota.

Princeton led 7-0 after the first quarter before exploding for 49 points in the second to take a 56-7 halftime lead.

Davis did most of the damage with two rushing TDs, two passing TDs and an interception return for a score.

SELLING THE FAKE

L-P’s offense is built around the running game. The Cavaliers average 39 rushing attempts and 183.4 rushing yards per game.

L-P mixes in a handful of passing plays – often play action – averaging 4.4 attempts per game. The Cavs have not attempted more than nine passes in a game this season.

The play action worked perfectly Friday.

On fourth-and-4, L-P quarterback Brendan Boudreau faked a pitch to the right then rolled left.

Gage Starkey was wide open streaking down the field and Boudreau connected with him for a 38-yard touchdown to pull the Cavs within 14-7 with 17.4 seconds left in the first quarter.

“We’re trying to sell that toss,” L-P coach Jose Medina said. “Gage made a heck of a catch and run. It was nice to see him get a touchdown.”

ENDING THE DROUGHT

Fieldcrest snapped a streak of 11 consecutive scoreless quarters in Friday’s 33-14 loss to LeRoy.

The Knights scored in the second quarter of their 23-14 loss to Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley then were shut out against El Paso-Gridley and Eureka.

After not scoring in the first quarter Friday, Brady Ruestman scored on a quarterback sneak in the second quarter to pull Fieldcrest within 7-6.

Kevin Hieronymus

Kevin Hieronymus

Kevin has been sports editor of the BCR since 1986. He previously was sports editor of the St. Louis Daily News and was a regular contributor for the St. Louis Cardinals' magazine. He is a 2021 inductee into the IBCA Hall of Fame (Media) and a 2023 inductee into the Shaw Media Illinois Valley Hall of Fame as "Distinguished Media."