Marcos smother Missiles to reclaim Battle for the Blacktop Trophy

MILLEDGEVILLE – In a bruising Battle for the Blacktop, Polo picked up the momentum early in the second half and rode it to a 30-14 victory over Milledgeville on Friday night at Floyd Daub Field.

The Marcos scored two touchdowns within three minutes of each other to take a 24-8 lead midway through the third quarter of the Illinois 8-Man Football Association North game, then held the Missiles to two first downs over the final two periods to reclaim the Battle for the Blacktop Trophy.

[ Photos of Polo at Milledgeville football ]

“We wanted to come out and play hard, try to get something going. It was 8-8 at halftime, a new game, the first half didn’t matter,” senior Noah Dewey said. “We just played Polo defense. We played hard, filled the gaps, flowed to the ball.”

“This win means a lot for us,” senior Gus Mumford said. “We haven’t beaten them in the regular season for three years – we beat them here last year in the playoffs – but we really wanted the trophy back, and we’ve got it now, so we’re pretty proud.”

Mumford did a little bit of everything for Polo (6-0, 6-0 I8FA North) from his quarterback spot, rushing 30 times for 141 yards and two touchdowns and completing 5-of-8 passes for 141 yards and two more scores.

His 63-yard touchdown run capped a 99-yard scoring drive in the first half, then his 67-yard TD pass to Billy Lowry gave the Marcos the lead for good a little more than two minutes into the second half.

“We went to a new formation, a lot of quarterback runs, and I think that’s what helped us the most. We played with a lot of energy,” Mumford said. “We have a huge line this year, and I love it. A lot of good guys who are strong and move quick, and they played well tonight.”

Both teams scored on 90-plus-yard drives in the first half. Polo’s first drive started at its own 12-yard line following a Milledgeville three-and-out to open the game and ended up in a third-and-21 situation just outside its own goal line after a penalty and two negative plays.

But after Mumford barely escaped a safety on second down, he connected with Dewey on a 28-yard pass for a first down. Three plays later, he broke through the Milledgeville line and outran the defense for a 63-yard touchdown and an 8-0 lead with 7:13 left in the first quarter.

After both defenses got stops on downs, the Missiles (5-1, 5-1) answered with a 93-yard scoring march, taking nearly 5½ minutes off the clock and converting on an Evan Schenck 4-yard run on fourth-and-goal.

The Marcos then lost a fumble on the first play of the second half, which Milledgeville recovered. The Missiles gave it back on the very next play on an interception by Mumford.

“We lost momentum with that turnover, then we got it right back the next play,” Dewey said. “That’s probably what helped us keep going, the momentum from the interception there.”

“Coming out of halftime is always big, and we caused a turnover and got the ball right away – but then we gave it right back, and you can’t do that against good teams,” Milledgeville coach Jason Wroble said. “I think the bottom line is we hurt ourselves a lot with untimely penalties and turnovers and missed assignments on defense. They’re a good team, and we knew it, and you can’t make mistakes against good teams.”

Polo cashed in the interception with Mumford’s scoring strike to Lowry, then the Marcos’ defense then forced a three-and-out, and the punt was shanked; Mumford had runs of 11 and 21 yards on consecutive plays to cover the 32 yards and give Polo a 24-8 lead with 7:15 left in the third.

The Missiles cut the deficit to 24-14 with a 64-yard touchdown on a halfback pass from Micah Toms-Smith to Konner Johnson with 9:44 left in the fourth quarter, but the Marcos sealed it eight minutes later. After recovering a fumble on a third-down sack, Polo finished a four-minute drive with a Mumford-to-Dewey TD pass from 11 yards out on fourth-and-goal to make it 30-14 with 1:19 to play.

Toms-Smith led the Missiles in rushing (46 yards) and passing (64 yards), while freshman quarterback Kyson Francis completed three passes for 63 yards.

“I thought maybe we could’ve gotten momentum with a safety there early on – it was close – and then they respond with a 99-yard drive, and that’s tough. Hats off to them for that drive there, and it sort of set the tone,” Wroble said. “I felt they had the momentum most of the game.

“We had a couple of opportunities to get back in it, and we just didn’t make enough plays.”