LISTEN: Click the Play button below to replay the game broadcast as heard on FM 95
Chicago Hope Academy continued its deepest playoff run in school history, preventing ROWVA-Williamsfield from setting its own postseason mark, ending the Cougars’ season with a 57-7 win at Bill Adams Field in Oneida.
The co-op, which last advanced to the quarterfinals in 2005 as ROWVA-Alwood, scored on its opening possession, a 12-play, 85-yard drive, capped off by Bryan Bertlshofer‘s 15-yard touchdown run. The score earned Bertlshofer the Dave’s Autobody Crunch Time Player of the Game.
Chicago Hope tied the game on its opening possession with a 30-yard touchdown pass on fourth down. Hope took the lead for good on its next possession, also on a fourth down pass play, from 10 yards out to open the second quarter.
The game turned for good with just under 5 minutes remaining in the first half, and Hope leading 22-7. Cougars quarterback Riley Danner was scrambling under pressure and was hit as he delivered a pass that was deflected and returned for an Eagles’ pick-6. ROWVA-Williamsfield’s next possession ended with an interception in the Chicago Hope end zone with just 17-seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter. On the final play of the half, Hope quarterback Eddie Jenkins Jr. scrambled 72-yards from sideline to sideline and a 36-to-7 halftime lead.
ROWVA-Williamsfield had five turnovers overall in the game and ends its season at 9-3. Hope improved to 11-1 and will play at home next weekend in the class 1A semifinals against three-time defending state champion Lena-Winslow. Le-Win ousted Annawan-Wethersfield 30-0.
In a Class 7A quarterfinal game at Quincy, defending state champ Chicago Mount Carmel defeated the Blue Devils 61-14.
Washington defeated Chatham (Glenwood) 59-16 in Class 6A. The Panthers (11-1) will meet East St. Louis (Sr.) (10-2) in the semifinals.
