Northwestern halts Eureka's winning streak in final contest of 2015
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Northwestern (Minn.) defense held Eureka to 216 yards of total offense en route to a 31-20 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference victory, Saturday afternoon at Reynolds Field in St. Paul, Minn. Eureka finishes the season 5-5 and 4-5 in conference play.
A pair of quarterbacks split time for Eureka, with junior quarterback Conrad Schumann (Rodgau, Germany/Claus-von-Stauffenberg) getting the bulk of the action, finishing 6-of-11 for 68 yards and a touchdown, adding 55 yards on the ground. Sophomore Dontai Johnson (Chicago, Ill./Argo) got the start under center, ending the day 2-of-6 for 41 yards and an interception.
Sophomore running back Matt Johnson (Seneca, Ill./Seneca) carried the ball 15 times for 46 yards, while freshman running back Paul Rhodes (Pana, Ill./Pana) had the lone touchdown carry for the visitors. The touchdown was Rhodes' first collegiate touchdown.
Senior wide receiver Matt Mogged (Piper City, Ill.-Tri-Point) hauled in a 4-yard touchdown pass from Schumann as time expired, giving the senior eight career touchdown receptions and his first of the season. Sophomore Demarcus Heglar (Chicago, Ill./Taft) led the EC receiving core with two receptions for 29 yards.
Senior safety Jordan Blair (Lanark, Ill./Eastland [Rockford]) returned his fourth interception of the season, and seventh career pick, 93-yards for a touchdown in closing seconds of the first half to cut the host's lead to 21-14 at the break. Linebacker and fellow senior Marcus Washington (Peoria, Ill./Morton) also picked off an Eagles' pass, his third interception in the last two contests, and finished the day with ten total tackles.
Sophomore linebacker Chris Friend (Washington, Ill./Washington [St. Xavier]) collected 14 stops, including two tackles for a loss and one sack, and concluded his rookie campaign as a Red Devil with a team-high 96 total tackles.
Eagles' quarterback Grant Schoen completed 13-of-27 passes for 210 yards and a trio of touchdown passes. Running back Zac Cash rushed 13 times for 49 yards and added four receptions for 68 yards and a pair of touchdown grabs.