Kewanee boils over Bureau Valley

MANLIUS - The Bureau Valley Storm played host to the Kewanee Boilermakers Friday night. The Storm came into the game at 2-1 while the Boilermakers had a perfect 3-0 record. This was an important game for both teams, looking to continue their good starts to the season.

It was all Boilermakers, as a dominant first half moved them past the Storm, 42-20.

Bureau Valley coach Mat Pistole said that Kewanee is a great team and deserves a lot of credit for the outcome of the game.

“Credit goes to Kewanee. They have a really really good team, and they executed at a high level and deserve a lot of credit,” he said.

The Storm got stopped on the first drive of the game, and the Boilermakers took advantage right away. They marched down the field with a dominant run game, chewing up plenty of clock on their way to the end zone.

With 2:51 left in the opening quarter, Boilermaker running back Alejandro Duarte punched in the first score on a three-yard run.

Corban Chhim got a huge return for the Storm following the touchdown, taking it all the way into Kewanee territory. The good times did not last, as a tipped pass from Bureau Valley quarterback Bryce Helms was intercepted.

Kewanee had a quick drive that ended in a Braden Clark touchdown pass to Colsen Welgat. The next two Storm drives ended in interceptions and Kewanee capitalized on both with touchdowns. The Boilermakers’ big first half gave them a 28-0 lead.

Coming out of the second half, the Storm looked to bounce back from the poor performance in the first. On their first drive, the Storm finally got on the board with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Helms to Eli Attig on 4th and long.

Later on in the half, Kewanee’s Clark continued his great evening with a touchdown pass to Benjamin Taylor.

The rest of the way the Storm managed a couple more touchdowns with a one-yard rush by Elijah Endress, and a three-yard touchdown by Payton Walowski. It was a rough evening for the Storm, but they were able to make a respectable showing in the second half.

Despite the loss, Pistole saw a little silver lining in the way that his players came out in the second half.

“They came out and they hit, they were physical, and they gave 110% effort,” he said.

Kewanee’s quarterback Clark was the standout of the game, throwing for 184 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 64 with a touchdown. Taylor was his top target with six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, Welgat added two touchdowns, and Brady Schiltz added one as well. Duarte ran for 64, and had a touchdown.

For the Storm, Helms had 64 yards and a touchdown. Cameron Lemons led the way on the ground with 66 yards.