Alden-Hebron starts Illinois 8-Man Football Association season with victory over Orangeville

Alden-Hebron 36, Orangeville 22: At Orangeville, the Giants got off to a hot start, taking a 15-0 lead over the Broncos and never trailing to earn a win in their Illinois 8-Man Football Association opener Saturday.

Alden-Hebron coach John Lalor was making his return to the sidelines after leading the Giants for 17 seasons from 2003 to 2019.

Caleb Linneman ran in a 5-yard touchdown in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead, and A-H went up 15-0 in the second on a 19-yard touchdown pass from JP Stewart to Fabian Carreno.

The Giants took a 22-6 lead in the second quarter on a 4-yard run by Linneman. Orangeville scored two long touchdowns, first on a 75-yard kickoff return before halftime, and added a 98-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to tie the score at 22.

The Giants responded and scored the game’s final 14 points on a Logan Klein 14-yard run and Stewart 1-yard run.

Stewart finished 5-of-12 passing for 70 yards, one TD and no interceptions in his first start at quarterback. Wyatt Armbrust led the Giants (1-0, 1-0) with 88 yards rushing on 19 attempts.

Linneman added an interception on defense, and Jack Stewart had an interception and a fumble recovery on a muffed punt in which he tackled the returner and picked up the loose ball.

“The young kids played pretty well,” Lalor said. “I was worried how they’d do, but they stepped up and played really well. Wyatt Armbrust had a real solid game for us. He didn’t score, but he’s our workhorse. And I thought our defense played well. We kept them boxed up pretty good for the most part.”

Alden-Hebron next hosts Milledgeville – an 80-8 winner over Ashton-Franklin Center in Week 1 – at 7 p.m. Friday.