Red Devils Takes Down Knox, Seizes Lincoln Bowl, 41-16
EUREKA – After a four-year hiatus, the Lincoln Bowl came back to Eureka College on Saturday evening.
And the Red Devils picked up where they left off in the rivalry, seizing a 41-16 victory over the Prairie Fire at McKinzie Field in the first series challenge since 2019.
The maroon and gold has now won seven of nine Lincoln Bowl contests dating back to 2012.
In his first game under center for the Red Devils, quarterback Kaeden Frazier (Clarkston, Wash./Clarkston/Presentation) threw 224 yards and four touchdowns on 14-of-25 passing.
Star receiver Sebastian Hill (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) hauled in a pair in the first half and notched 81 receiving yards in the game.
The Red Devils tallied the first 21 points of the game, with Frazier finding Hill twice early and fullback Ben Bernabei (Peru, Ill./St. Bede Academy) once in the first half.
The Prairie Fire got on the board with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Kaile Williams to Evan Laws with four seconds remaining in the first half.
It was a rare letdown in an otherwise dominant first half by the Red Devils' defense.
The Prairie Fire converted a 27-yard field goal by Chris McMillan to start the second half, but EC came back strong with an eight-play, 53-yard drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown run by Angel Garcia (Elgin, Ill./Larkin).
Frazier found Evan Jakobik (Nashville, Tenn/Hillwood) in the right corner of the end zone for a beautiful 26-yard touchdown reception on the next drive, giving Eureka a 24-point advantage late in the third quarter.
The Red Devils' final touchdown came on a five-yard touchdown run by Bernabei with 8:20 left in the game.
Garcia finished with 70 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries, while Bernabei had 50 rushing yards on nine carries, along with a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown.
Jack Butler (Tinley Park, Ill./Tinley Park) posted two catches for 57 yards and made three kick returns for 74 yards.
Defensively, the Red Devils held Knox to 16 points on 229 yards of total offense. Willie Cox (Decatur, Ill./Decatur MacArthur) delivered his first career interception early in the second quarter, and fifth-year senior linebacker Brendan Durr (Washington, Ill./Washington) led the way with eight total tackles. Fellow fifth-year senior Jack Arnett (Princeville, Ill./Princeville) had seven tackles, as did senior Austin Hopkins (Arcola, Ill./Arcola) and another fifth-year senior in Donovan Hathaway (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria). Cox followed with six.
Chris Woods (Avon, Ill./Abingdon-Avon) and Jashawn Knighten (Chicago, Ill.) each contributed a pass break-up in a tenacious EC defensive effort that included a slew of hard-hitting tackles in the open field.
Eureka (1-0) will next take on Greenville (1-0) on Saturday on the road at 12 p.m.
