Jordan’s Road Trip: Peotone vs Wilmington Post Game Report
In this Week 5 Matchup, we’re taking a look at the Peotone Blue Devils (3-1) vs the Wilmington Wildcats (4-0). Both of these teams have talented players on both sides of the ball. Peotone is coming off of a tough…
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Continue ReadingIn this Week 5 Matchup, we’re taking a look at the Peotone Blue Devils (3-1) vs the Wilmington Wildcats (4-0). Both of these teams have talented players on both sides of the ball. Peotone is coming off of a tough loss against Lisle and Wilmington is coming off of a great win against Coal City that went down to the wire. Let’s dive into the Post Game Report for this Week 5 Matchup that went down on Friday, April 16th.
Quick Preview
Heading into this game I knew it was going to be a smash-mouth type of football game that was going to have physical play through all four quarters. Both of these teams run the double-wing offense where they look to pound the ball against their opponents. What is going to be noteworthy to keep an eye on is who plays for Peotone since they had a few players get injured last week against their matchup with Lisle. Since I’m unsure on who will be playing and who will not be for Peotone I have Wilmington winning this matchup 28-17 in a hard-fought contest.
First Half
Peotone started the game receiving the ball on their own 32-yard line. Peotone came out in their double-wing offense and got stuffed by Wilmington forcing a punt. Wilmington capitalized with a 31 yard TD run by Cody Franzen to put the Wildcats up 7-0. This was much of the same for Peotone in the first half, they just couldn’t get things going on offense. Wilmington on the other hand drove down the field where Allan Richards capitalized with a field goal and an 11 yard TD pass to put the Wildcats up 17 to 0 at the half.
Halftime Takeaways
Peotone Blue Devils
On offense, they need to get things going in the run game. As of right now, they’ve been shut down and can’t get anything going. On defense, they have had solid drives slowing down Wilmington but let up big plays extending Wilmington’s drives and penalties continue hurting them as well.
Wilmington Wildcats
On offense, they are running it down Peotone’s throat and used a play-action pass for a TD in a great play call to continue the pressure on the Blue Devils. On defense, they are doing a great job of shooting the gaps, playing hard, and blitzing on each play. The Wildcats are timing the snap count and sending 8 players into the gaps on each play which has done wonders in stopping Peotone’s offensive attack.
What to look for in the Second Half
Peotone Blue Devils
On offense, they need to get things going by changing the snap count and attacking the edge instead of running between the tackles. If they don’t get things going soon it’s going to be a shutout. On defense, they need to shoot the gaps hard, bring pressure each play, and get after it.
Wilmington Wildcats
On offense, look for the Wildcats to continue pounding the ball and working play-action off of the run game to get another quick one against Peotone. On defense, look for them to continue to shoot the gaps and playing aggressive. They’re doing everything right so far in the game and have the momentum in their favor, let’s see if this stays the same in the second half.
Second Half
Starting off the second half Wilmington ended up being stopped by Peotone’s defensive unit forcing a punt. Peotone was driving down the field where their drive stalled out but they needed a score to stay in this game. So, the Blue Devils went for it on 4th down where they weren’t able to convert giving Wilmington the ball at the 50-yard line. The Blue Devil’s defense came to play in the second half forcing a fumble to give their offense the ball back but once again they just weren’t able to get things going with Ben Balmer fumbling the ball. Wilmington capitalized off of this turnover scoring a 2-yard TD from Cody Franzen to put them up 24-0. The remaining drives ended in punts with Wilmington holding off Peotone to win 24 to 0.
End of Game
Wilmington 24 Peotone 0
I knew coming into this game that Wilmington had a lot of momentum on their side from beating Coal City late in the 4th quarter. Wilmington came out and punched Peotone in the mouth scoring on all three of their drives in the first half. Peotone simply couldn’t get things going on offense, but their defense stepped their game up getting defensive stops in the second half. Both of these teams are well-coached and will do big things come the fall season.
Quick Chat with HC Apostolos Tsiamas: “TJ Chenoweth had a really solid year for us, Ryan Moe got some valuable playing time, a couple of O-Lineman in Austin Massat, and Alex Renwick that did good things. Joel Lee and Tyler Hendricker Tyler Hendricker 6'4" | 230 lbs | DL Peotone | 2022 State IL did great things for us upfront. The nice thing about us right now is that we have 7 guys on each side of the ball coming back so they got great experience this year and it will be very valuable moving into next season.”
Game Stats
Peotone Blue Devils
- Ben Balmer: 10 carries for 37 yards
- TJ Chenoweth: 1 reception for 61 yards
- Ryan Moe: 18 carries for 57 yards
Wilmington Wildcats
- Cody Franzen: 12 carries for 118 yards, 2 TDs
- Jacob Friddle: 8 carries for 32 yards
Key Takeaways
Peotone Blue Devils
- When their running game out of the double wing gets stopped they don’t have a plan b
- Defense responded well after getting punched in the mouth in the second half
- Underclassmen got game experience heading into the fall season, can build off of this
Wilmington Wildcats
- Jacob Friddle will be a name to know next season at running back
- Great season to build off of during summer training & into the fall season
- Defense did a great job stopping Peotone’s offense
Overall, this was a one-sided battle between Peotone and Wilmington. Peotone’s turnovers hurt them in the second half and they couldn’t bounce back from the deficit. That being said it was a good season for both of these teams and a great way to start heading into the fall season. Wilmington finished on top of the Interstate Central Eight Conference with a 5-0 record and Peotone falls to the middle of the pack with a 3-2 record.
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