Class 4A playoffs: Landin Benson’s legs, stingy defense lead Coal City past East Alton-Wood River

COAL CITY – Things didn’t start well for Coal City on Saturday in the opening round of the Class 4A playoffs against East Alton-Wood River, but the Coalers recovered and used the running and punting of sophomore Landin Benson and a punishing defense to come away with a 22-6 victory.

The Coalers received the opening kickoff but fumbled and the Oilers’ Travis Skinner recovered at the Coal City 38.

Six plays later, Seth Slayden rumbled in from 3 yards out. The conversion pass failed, but the Oilers held a 6-0 lead with 7:44 to play in the first quarter.

Benson’s first punt gave East Alton-Wood River (6-4) good field position at their own 48, but Coal City’s Jim Feeney recovered a fumble on the second play after that. Coal City had to punt again, and this time Benson got off a boot that was downed at the 7. The Coal City defense, spearheaded by Michael Gonzalez, forced a three-and-out, and Coaler return man Daniel Carlson returned the kick 37 yards to the Oiler 12. Benson (24 carries, 110 yards) went over from 3 yards out, then ran in the two-point conversion for an 8-6 Coal City lead with 1:07 to play in the first.

“We practice our punts every day in practice,” Benson said. “And the offensive line did a great job of blocking.

“It’s fun to get a playoff win, especially at home.”

Neither team was able to score in the second quarter, and Coal City (7-3) took the 8-6 lead into halftime.

Most of the third quarter was played on East Alton-Wood River’s side of the field, as Criede Skubic intercepted an Oiler pass and ran it back to the East Alton 37. On third-and-1, Benson broke through the line, cut left and raced 28 yards for a touchdown and Braiden Young’s kick made it 15-8.

The Coaler defense was stiff again as Gonzalez had a tackle for loss and Skubic broke up a third-down pass to force a punt. Coal City took over at the Oilers’ 48 and, on third-and-10 from the 22, quarterback Braden Reilly hit Chris Cholico in the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown and a 22-6 lead with 5:08 left in the third.

The two teams traded punts, and this time Benson pinned the Oilers at their own 3.

Slayden (23 carries 124 yards), however, broke loose for a 54-yard run to give the Oilers some breathing room, and the drive reached the Coal City 16 before Coaler linebacker Tanner Phillips broke up a fourth-down pass in the end zone.

The Oilers refused to quit, however, and Chris Fitzgerald recovered a Coal City fumble at the 33. Again East Alton-Wood River got into the red zone, but Skubic snared his second interception on fourth-and-goal from the 5.

After a Coal City punt, Skubic nearly had his third pick, but the Oiler drive was ended on downs at the 19 and the Coalers took a knee to close out the game.

Coal City will face top-seeded Carterville, a 36-7 winner over Geneseo on Saturday, in the second round.

“It wasn’t pretty, but a win the playoffs is a win,” Coal City coach Francis Loughran said. “Everything that could go wrong did, it seemed like. The good thing is that most of our penalties [the Coalers had 9 flags for 55 yards] are fixable. We’ll get to work on that in practice Monday.

“Our offensive and defensive lines were very good. We wanted to get back to running the football and we were able to do that. Michael Gonzalez had a great game. He is big [6-0, 295], but he is very athletic and has a nose for the ball. Our linebackers played great, too.”