SVM Week 1 football notebook: Dixon, Newman start strong; Forreston picks up where it left off

The opening week of the high school football season was somewhat of a mixed bag for Sauk Valley area teams. Nine out of 16 opened the season with a win Friday or Saturday. There were high highs and low lows across the region. Some teams met expectations, some exceeded them, and others will look to bounce back this week.

Here are the top takeaways from Week 1:

Dixon turns tables on Stillman Valley

The last two times the Dukes and Cardinals met, the Cardinals prevailed 20-14 (2021 Week 4) and 36-6 (2022 Week 4). This year was a different story.

Dixon junior Tyson Dambman started the game with a bang, returning the opening kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown. From there, it was all Dukes. Senior quarterback Tyler Shaner rushed for two touchdowns in a three-touchdown first quarter and finished the night 10-for-15 passing for 93 yards with 140 rushing yards and three rushing scores in the 28-14 road win over Stillman Valley.

Senior running back Aiden Wiseman rushed for 84 yards on 11 carries, and junior wide receiver Cullen Shaner added four catches for 41 yards for the Dukes.

Comeback Comets

Last season, Newman lost both matchups against Rockridge by at least three scores (33-8 in Week 2 and 42-12 in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs). This year, they would not be denied a win.

Senior defensive back Brady Grennan gave the Comets a 6-0 lead in the first minute of the game with a pick six. Rockridge answered with a second-quarter touchdown for a 7-6 lead, led the game for most of the next two quarters but couldn’t hang on.

Down by one point late in the fourth quarter, Newman put together a clutch scoring drive. With five seconds left, sophomore quarterback Evan Bushman connected with senior wide receiver Isaiah Williams. The 3-yard touchdown pass sealed a 12-7 win.

Bushman finished his varsity starting quarterback debut 12-for-24 passing for 127 yards and a touchdown, while top target, Mac Hanrahan, caught four passes for 75 yards.

The Comets’ defense was dominant in Week 1. It snagged two interceptions, including the pick six, allowed only 4 of 14 passes to be completed, and surrendered a mere 12 rushing yards. Of the 76 passing yards it allowed, 41 came on one play – a second-quarter touchdown pass from Cullen Schwigen to Landon Wheatley.

Forreston still looks like state contender

The Cardinals were down early, trailing Fulton 18-8 at halftime, but came alive in the second half, rallying for a 22-18 win in Friday night’s opener. The win avenged a 30-28 Week 7 loss to the Steamers in 2022.

Senior running back Kaleb Sanders scored the game-winning touchdown on a 16-yard cutback run in the fourth quarter.

Forreston used a committee backfield to gain the lead, then run out the clock. Senior Micah Nelson led the rushing attack, totaling 88 yards on 11 carries. Owen Mulder chipped in 60 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, Alex Ryia had 59 yards on eight carries, and Sanders added 47 yards and a touchdown on six carries.

Bureau Valley makes strong opening statement

Motivated by past losing seasons, the Storm refused to let 2023 start on a similar trajectory. With a 26-7 win over Erie-Prophetstown in the opener, it did exactly that.

Junior running back Elijah Endress had a big hand in Bureau Valley’s win, scoring two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown to go with a momentum-stopping, fourth-down, late-third-quarter sack.

That was one of a few huge defensive stops by the Storm, who pitched a second-half shutout. Senior linebacker Connor Scott forced a three-and-out with a third-down sack on a second-quarter Panthers’ drive that went deep into Storm territory.

Bureau Valley junior quarterback Bryce Helms also made big plays, tossing the 17-yard touchdown pass to Endress, taking a 20-yard keeper for a score, and breaking free for a 43-yard run to set up another score.