Published: November 10, 2008 10:01 am      

Mustangs ousted in 4-OT game

MANLIUS, Ill. — It’s little consolation, but the Morrison Mustangs will go away from the 2008 season knowing they were almost unbeatable in regulation. Unfortunately for them, overtime was their Achilles’ heel.

After a heart-wrenching, triple overtime loss to Amboy earlier in the season, the Mustangs found themselves in a similar situation Saturday. The outcome was even more difficult to take: a 12-6 loss to Bureau Valley in the second round of the Class 2A Illinois high school football playoffs.

In Week 7, the Mustangs became the only team to stain the Storm's record with a 28-0 blowout victory in the Big Rivers Conference showdown at Bud Cole Field in Morrison. What was so different about Saturday? For starters a 40-degree drop in temperature and a revenge-minded Bureau Valley crowd.

After three scoreless overtimes, Bureau Valley stuck to the ground in the fourth extra period, giving the ball to senior running back Bill Robbins, who gained a quick 8 yards and set up second-and-2 at the Morrison 2. A tough 2-yard rush by Robbins gave the Storm the touchdown and the 12-6 victory.

“You know, I give their guys credit, but in the end it just came down to us not being able to contain them, and it cost us the game,” Morrison coach Cory Bielema said.

The winning score ended a long day dominated by the defenses. Morrison limited Bureau Valley to 3 yards in the first quarter, 63 in the half. But Morrison quarterback Devin Mouw had to holster his arm in exchange for a tough ground game.

“We're a team that likes to balance it out running and passing,” Morrison’s Jason Smith said, “but when we have to rely on only running the ball, I think that hurts us a lot.”

The first score came off the heels of a Morrison fumble recovery by junior Patrick Wagenecht late in the second quarter. With less than two minutes left in the half, junior Josh Vos ran 5 yards, giving Morrison a six-point advantage. With a failed extra-point attempt, the score was 6-0 in favor of the Mustangs going into halftime.

Late in the third quarter, the Storm began constructing a drive, putting them inside Morrison's 20-yard line to begin the fourth quarter. Bureau Valley quarterback John King kept the ball on a first-and-goal at the Morrison 2, tying the game at 6. The Mustangs blocked the extra-point attempt, keeping the score 6-all.

Bureau Valley again threatened to score late in the fourth, but with only 31 seconds left in regulation play was unable to capitalize, sending the game into overtime.

The Storm won the coin toss to begin overtime. Bureau Valley started at Morrison's 10-yard line but gained only 1 yard in four tries and turned the ball over to Morrison. The Mustangs grabbed 4 quick yards but fumbled on their next down to send the game into a second overtime.

Morrison fumbled the ball away again in the second overtime, but survived when the Storm bobbled the hold on a field-goal attempt on fourth-and-12.

Smith, Morrison’s senior linebacker, picked off a pass, returning possession to the Mustangs. On their turn, the Mustangs called on junior Kyle Dermody to attempt a 33-yard field goal for the win, but they bobbled the hold, too.

The win pushed Bureau Valley’s record to 10-1. The Storm will travel to Elmhurst, Ill., to face 7-4 Immaculate Conception next Saturday in the quarterfinals. Morrison ended the season at 8-3.

“We got better every week — win or lose improvements were made” Bielema said.

With 18 juniors coming back next season, Bielema is optimistic.

“We have a lot of talented juniors coming back next season, not to say that the seniors wont be sorely missed,” he said.