Eureka Scores Big NACC Win Over Rockford, 31-14
EUREKA – Saturday was exactly what the Eureka football team had been looking for.
The Red Devils tamed Rockford's explosive offense and earned a 31-14 victory over the Regents to open the 2022 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference season.
The Red Devils are now 1-2 on the season and 1-0 in NACC play following Eureka's triumph at McKinzie Field on Saturday ahead of the squad's Homecoming showdown with Benedictine next Saturday.
After Rockford tallied 594 yards in Week 1 and 457 yards in Week 2, the Eureka defense held the Regents to a season-low 310 yards of total offense.
On the other side of the ball, the Red Devils notched a season-high 235 rushing yards, with Peyton Doughty's (Cincinnati, Ohio/Newton) career-high 111 rushing yards leading the way. The fifth-year senior posted 20 carries for 111 yards and one 40-yard score that put the game away in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore transfer Angel Garcia (Elgin, Ill./Larkin/Concordia Chicago) came up one yard short of his first 100-yard rushing performance for the Red Devils, finishing with 99 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
Freshman quarterback Noah Berlett completed 9-of-17 passes for 132 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
He connected with fifth-year senior Pierce Bradford (Decatur, Ill./Argenta-Oreana) for six receptions for 96 yards and a tone-setting touchdown in the first quarter. Sophomore receiver Sebastian Hill (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) added 32 yards on two catches.
After going three-and-out on their first possession, Eureka got things going after the special teams unit forced a rushed punt that gave EC good field position. Berlett found Bradford – who was coming back from an injury – for a 30-yard touchdown reception on the star receiver's first catch of the season.
The Red Devils defense then came up with two straight stops, setting up the maroon and gold's second touchdown drive. Garcia completed a six-play, 53-yard drive with a confident, 11-yard touchdown run – the first of his career as a Red Devil – with 52 seconds remaining in the first frame.
Rockford answered with a nine-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jaelen Ray to Jack Carey with 10:48 left in the second quarter.
Eureka extended the lead to 10 points with a clean, 30-yard field goal by kicker Steven Bartkus (Seneca, Ill./Seneca) on the Red Devils' last drive before the half.
Both teams struggled to move the ball and extend drives throughout the third, but the Red Devils controlled the clock. With 3:32 left, Taijuan Johnson (Peoria, Ill./Manual) picked off Ray, setting the stage for another long scoring drive for the home team. The Red Devils successfully executed a 12-play, 66-yard drive that ended in a four-yard touchdown plunge for Ben Bernabei (Peru, Ill./St. Bede Academy) early in the fourth quarter.
Eureka's special teams unit proceeded to recover a pooch kickoff by Bartkus and the offense moved the ball back within the red zone, but the drive ended in a fumble. The Eureka defense, however, compensated with a turnover on downs.
Two possessions later, Rockford scored for the second time on a quick drive that ended with a 7-yard touchdown run by Ray that briefly put the Regents within 10.
Eureka subsequently took over at the 50 and Doughty put the game away for the maroon and gold with a 10-yard run and a 40-yard score that made it 31-14.
The Red Devils' defense held Rockford to 4-for-15 on third-down attempts. Senior linebacker Brendan Durr (Washington, Ill./Washington) led the way with 11 total tackles. Jack Arnett (Princeville, Ill./Princeville) followed with nine, including one for loss, and one breakup.
Austin Hopkins (Arcola, Ill./Arcola) and Malik Jones (Chicago, Ill./Hubbard) contributed seven and six tackles, respectively.
Senior Ben Wright (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) and freshman Willie Cox (Decaur, Ill./Decatur MacArthur) both produced big sacks, and the Red Devils defense finished with eight pass breakups overall.
On Saturday at 4 p.m., Eureka (1-2, 1-0 NACC) will host Benedictine (3-0, 1-0) in the 100th Homecoming in the history of the institution.
