Jordan’s Road Trip: Bradley Bourbonnais vs Carl Sandburg
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Closing out my Road Trip for the spring season, I went to visit Bradley Bourbonnais High School to watch the Boiler Makers take on Carl Sandburg in a Friday night matchup. This is the last game for both of these…
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Continue ReadingClosing out my Road Trip for the spring season, I went to visit Bradley Bourbonnais High School to watch the Boiler Makers take on Carl Sandburg in a Friday night matchup. This is the last game for both of these teams in the spring season, let’s see who gets the last win on the season.
Quick Preview
Heading into his matchup I knew this game was going to go back and forth in a close matchup. Sandburg’s starting QB ( Kevin Zimmer Kevin Zimmer 6'3" | 230 lbs | QB Sandburg | 2022 State IL ) went down with a season-ending injury so I was unsure as to who would step up for this role heading into this game. Bradley Bourbonnais is coming off of a tough loss against Lincoln-Way West where they showcased that they can go head to head with the top dogs in 7A. That being said, I expect the Boiler Makers to come out with a chip on their shoulder which is why I have them winning 35 to 28 in a tough battle.
First Half
The Boiler Makers started the game off on their own 14-yard line where they weren’t able to do much on the opening drive and the same was said for the Eagles opening drive as well. It was a defensive battle for the first few drives with Zach Starr and Detric Dee holding down the defense for the Boiler Makers and Luke Devito getting it done for the Eagles. This all changed on the Eagle’s third drive where they were able to drive down the field methodically with their running attack to punch it in with a 2-yard run from Luke Stefanos. The following drive the Boiler Makers were driving down the field and got to the Eagle’s 10-yard line where the Boiler Makers went for it on 4th down. They did not end up capitalizing on it forcing a turnover on downs and giving the Eagles the ball back. The Boiler Makers forced a punt and got the ball on the Eagle’s 46-yard line. Caige Williams found Mark Robinson on a 28-yard touchdown pass to get the Boiler Makers on the board tying the game up 7 apiece in the second quarter. On the following drive, Dylan Sigel took it 74 yards on a QB Scramble for the touchdown to put the Eagles up 14-7. The Boiler Makers would come back and answer driving down the field getting into field goal range. They attempted a 45-yard field goal and it was just off to the right, it had the distance just was a tad bit off-target. The Eagles got the ball back where they took a knee to end the half.
Halftime Thoughts
Bradley Bourbonnais Boiler Makers
On offense, they got the run game going at the end of the half with Ethan McCarty and Nathan Murphy. They had big plays in the passing game with Caige Williams finding Mark Robinson & Neal May to get on the board before the end of the half. They’re driving down the field, their drives are simply stalling out. On defense, big plays are killing them which is why they’re losing 14 to 7 at the end of the half. The Boiler Makers are doing a good job locking down the receivers in coverage, the QB scramble is what’s hurting them.
Carl Sandburg Eagles
On offense, their run game is going well with running back Luke Stefanos and QB Dylan Sigel. Their receivers for the most part in the first half are being locked down in coverage which is where Dylan Sigel takes it upon himself to scramble for the first down. On defense, they have a bend but don’t break mentality. So far, Luke Devito has been causing havoc on the defensive line getting into the backfield right as the ball is snapped for both pass and run downs.
What to look for in the Second Half
Bradley Bourbonnais Boiler Makers
On offense, look for the Boiler Makers to get their run game going further with Ethan McCarty and Nathan Murphy. Once this is developed look for Caige Williams to hit Mark Robinson or Neal May on a play-action deep shot over the top. On defense, keep an eye on Zach Starr and Detric Dee to bring pressure and covering the receivers in coverage. Dylan Sigel scrambling is what’s hurting them on defense, he has too much time in the pocket on passing downs so look for both of these to change in the second half.
Carl Sandburg Eagles
On offense, look for the Eagles to continue their run game with Luke Stefanos and Dylan Sigel. Upon doing this, look for their passing game to open up with Jake Maziarka, Jackson Schramm, Michael Walsh, and Kyle Peterson. This will open up by the Eagles using the quick game to set up a play-action deep shot over the top. On defense, look for them to continue to shoot the gaps and limiting the run game. So far, they’ve held Ethan McCarty and Nathan Murphy to limited gains on the ground. Look for the Eagles to bring pressure more often in the second half to rattle Caige Williams in the pocket and continue to let Luke Devito dominate the point of attack on the defensive line.
Second Half
Kickstarting the second half the Eagles received the second-half kickoff where they started their drive on their own 29-yard line. The Boiler Makers defense forced a punt and their offense capitalized on getting the ball back. Caige Williams found Detric Dee for a 50-yard touchdown pass to tie the game up at 14 apiece. The Boiler Maker’s defense forced another punt once the Eagles got the ball back. It seemed as if all of the momentum was in full swing for the Boiler Makers at this point but things turned around with the Eagles defense picking off Caige Williams on their next drive. The Eagles weren’t able to capitalize on this turnover, but they were able to pin the Boiler Makers on the 1-yard line from a great punt. This set up BBCHS in a terrible position and it ended worse with it resulting in a safety putting Sandburg up 16-14 and giving them the ball back as well. The Eagles were not able to capitalize upon getting the ball back from the safety and this created the back and forth battle for the rest of the night. BBCHS was able to respond with Caige Williams finding Mark Jackson for a 68-yard TD to go up 20-16 in the 4th. The Eagles responded by kicking a field goal to close the gap to 20-19. The following drive Ethan McCarty takes the first play handoff 60 yards for a touchdown increasing their lead 27-19. It wasn’t looking too good for Sandburg as time was running out but they were able to drive down the field for a 7-yard TD run from Dylan Sigel to close the gap bringing the score to be 27-25. Bradley Bourbonnais got the ball back where they drove down the field and ended the drive with a 5-yard TD run from Hollist Daniels putting them up 33-25. At this point in the game, there were less than two minutes left in the game and the Eagles started their drive on their own 35-yard line. The challenge was big but the Eagles were up for the test as Dylan Sigel found Jake Maziarka for a 47-yard pass to set them up inside the 5 with less than a minute to go. Dylan Sigel was able to capitalize on this big play by taking it 1-yard for the TD bringing the score to 33-31 with 20 seconds left in the game. The Eagles had to get the 2-point conversion or else it would be all over, so they go for two out of the shotgun formation. They chose to go with a pass play but all of the receivers were covered in the endzone, Dylan Sigel saw this play out and he planted his back foot to scramble out of his pocket to his left. There was a hoard of BBCHS defenders chasing him to try to stop him before he crossed the endzone but Dylan Sigel’s speed was too fast as he got into the endzone at the last second to tie the score at 33 apiece with 20 seconds left in the game. The Boiler Makers had 20 seconds to make a play and get into field goal range to get the game-winning field goal off or even a touchdown to close out the game. They received the kickoff at their own 32-yard line where they were able to drive down the field with Caige Williams finding Neal May on more than one occasion for 7, 14, and 11-yard gains getting them close to field goal range. There were only 8 seconds left in the game, time enough for one last play. Caige Williams got the snap and threw a bullet pass to Neal May on a screen pass where he was able to make the first two defenders miss. He had a hoard of BBCHS blockers coming behind him, he planted his foot and hit the backdoor cut where it was nothing but open field once he got past the last defender. A BBCHS lineman came in for the block cleaning an Eagle’s defender’s clock laying him out but out of nowhere another Eagle’s defender comes flying in to tackle Neal May by his shoestring forcing overtime. If that tackle wasn’t made, it was all open field for Neal May where it would have been a walk-off touchdown since he already ran it 25 yards and only had 30 yards to get into the endzone.
Overtime
As overtime came it was decided that each team would start on their opponent’s 10-yard line, Bradley Bourbonnais won the coin toss so they started off on offense in OT. 4 plays, 10 yards to go, who wants it more is on full display in this OT battle. Caige Williams found Nathan Murphy for a 5-yard pass bringing it to 2nd & 5 on the 5-yard line. The next play Caige Williams tried to find his receiver on a fade but it fell incomplete. This brought it to 3rd & 5, Caige Williams dropped back in the shotgun formation rolling out to the left. Luke Devito was coming full steam ahead where he was able to catch the leg of Caige Williams but before he went down to the ground he was able to get the pass off to find Detric Dee for a 5-yard TD pass to put them up 40-33 after kicking the extra point. Now it was Sandburg’s turn on offense to showcase what they can do. It only took them 2 plays to find the endzone, the first play being a 6-yard run by Dylan Sigel and the second being a 4-yard TD run by Dylan Sigel to bring the score to 40-39. Sandburg decided to go for two in OT to decided who would win this game, it all came down to this final play on who would win this great battle between these two teams. The Eagles came out in shotgun formation, Dylan Sigel took the snap where he had Jake Maziarka wide open in the endzone so he lobbed the pass to him. It seemed as if that was the game and the Eagles were going to complete the comeback coming out victorious, but that was not the case as the ball went straight through Jake Maziarka’s hands ending the game. The Bradley Bourbonnais Boiler Makers came out on top 40-39 against the Carl Sandburg Eagles in one heck of a game that was filled with emotion during every second and on every snap.
End of Game
Bradley Bourbonnais 40 Carl Sandburg 39
This game was ELECTRIC, to say the least, going into overtime and the momentum swinging back and forth the whole game. Both of these teams have one hell of a coaching staff and have players that fight until the last second is off the game clock. This game went down to the final play in overtime where it all came to the two-point conversion the Eagles went for on the final play of the game. This was by far the best game I saw all season having all aspects of a great game. Both of these teams are going to be ones to watch come the fall, their grit and pure determination make both of these teams dangerous as they will continue to fight even against all odds. I wish the best to both of these teams heading into summer training camp and in the fall season.
Game Stats
Bradley Bourbonnais
- Caige Williams: 19/32 for 307 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT
- Ethan McCarty: 12 carries for 91 yards, 1 TD
- Nathan Murphy: 7 carries for 31 yards
- Mark Robinson: 4 receptions for 106 yards, 2 TDs
- Neal May: 7 receptions for 85 yards
Carl Sandburg
- Dylan Sigel: 12/16 for 178 yards, 22 carries for 159 yards 4 rushing TDs
- Luke Stefanos: 23 carries for 88 yards, 1 TD
- Jake Maziarka: 4 receptions for 85 yards
- Jackson Schramm: 5 receptions for 32 yards
- Michael Walsh: 2 receptions for 41 yards
- Kyle Peterson: 3 receptions for 34 yards
Key Takeaways
Bradley Bourbonnais
- Caige Williams is one hell of a QB, he’s going to do big things with this team come the fall
- Detric Dee, Mark Robinson, Neal May, Zach Starr, & Grayson Dexter Grayson Dexter 6'4" | 245 lbs | OL Bradley-Bourbonnais | 2022 State IL are names to know
- Offense will be dominant come the fall as they can air it out and score in a heartbeat, defense has the bend but don’t break mentality
Carl Sandburg
- With Kevin Zimmer Kevin Zimmer 6'3" | 230 lbs | QB Sandburg | 2022 State IL going down, Dylan Sigel stepped up to the plate at QB
- Luke Devito is going to be a force come the fall on defense
- This will be a team to watch come the fall season as they have a good defense and a fast scoring offense to pair with it
Overall, this was a great game to end the season. I look forward to keeping tabs on both of these teams during the fall season and seeing how the players on each team develop with the quick turnaround for summer training. This is the end of my road trip for the spring season and I had a great time going out to each game this season.
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