High school football: Johnsburg moves to 9-0, Alex Peete surpasses 5,000 rushing yards

JOHNSBURG — The 2016 regular season has been one to remember for Johnsburg, and the Skyhawks capped it off with another lopsided victory in Week 9.

Johnsburg improved to 9-0 with a 48-3 victory over Marengo. Skyhawk running back Alex Peete surpassed 5,000 career rushing yards with a 198-yard, three touchdown performance. The Skyhawks locked up the Kishwaukee River Conference title in the process.

“It feels great,” Peete said. “Words can’t really describe the happiness I have, same with the seniors and the whole team. This is what we’ve worked for ever since we were little.”

Peete’s 198 yards on 30 carries put him at 1,522 yards for the season. The 5,000 career rushing mark puts him into the IHSA’s top 15 all-time and he still has work to do in the playoffs.

“He’s earned it, he’s earned every moment of it,” Johnsburg coach Dan DeBoeuf said. “He’s worked his tail off. He’s an awesome kid. He’s done everything the right way.”

Peete has now scored 29 touchdowns this season. He will go down as the best running back in school history and one of the best in state history.

"It means everything," Peete said. "I thank all the linemen that I’ve had throughout my high school career. The line that we have now is amazing. I can’t ask for anything more."

Marengo (5-4, 2-4 KRC) had great field position on its first possession after stopping a Johnsburg fake punt short. The Indians capitalized with a 26-yard field goal from kicker Aaron Shepard. It proved to be Marengo’s only score.

Johnsburg moved 72 yards down field on its next possession and capped it with a 16-yard score from Peete. From then on, it was all Johnsburg.

“We got opportunities, we’ve just got to be able to take advantage of those opportunities,” Marengo coach Matt Lynch said. “We didn’t do that and they held solid. That’s a good football team.”

Johnsburg defensive lineman Dyllan Hess scored on a pick-six and Peete added another rushing score to put the Skyhawks up 21-3 at half.

For Johnsburg, the attention turns to the playoffs, where they figure to be the top seed in the northern half of the Class 4A bracket. DeBoeuf told his team after the game that their work was only beginning.

“(We have to) have good practices,” DeBoeuf said. “Once it starts getting really cold outside, sometimes it can be hard to have good practices and keep focused.”

At 5-4, Marengo will have to wait out the playoff seeding proccess. After Friday night's action, the Indians sit at 37 playoff points, which puts them on the bubble with regards to where the cutoff has been in previous years.

Lynch said Friday he felt his team had "got enough to get in."

UNSUNG HERO

Dyllan Hess

Johnsburg, sr., OL/DL

Hess intercepted a pass from Marengo quarterback Ben Skow late in the first quarter. Hess said it was the first touchdown of his varsity career.

"We’ve been looking at screens all week," Hess said. "I saw the (running back) Jarren (Jackson) coming up behind me, the quarterback threw it right in my hands. I just ran as fast as I could."

QUICK STATS

Marengo 3 0 0 0 — 3

Johnsburg 14 7 7 20 — 48

First quarter

Mgo — FG Shepard 26, 8:08.

Jbg — Peete 16 run, (Jayko kick), 5:24.

Jbg — Hess 10 interception return (Jayko kick), 0:25.

Second quarter

Jbg — Peete 4 run (Jayko kick), 4:36.

Third quarter

Jbg — Peete 1 run (Jayko kick), 4:32.

Fourth quarter

Jbg — Buchanan 1 run (Jayko kick), 10:24.

Jbg — LoDolce 17 pass from Buchanan (kick failed), 8:25.

Jbg — Helma 9 run (Jayko kick), 6:40.

AND ANOTHER THING ...

Johnsburg completed its first undefeated regular season since 2004. The Skyhawks were eliminated in the second round of the IHSA 5A playoffs that season. This year’s Johnsburg team figures to have locked up the top seed in the northern half of the 4A bracket.