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STREATOR – With the ball at midfield in a one-score game late in the second quarter, the Streator defense forced Lisle into a quick three-and-out and got the ball back to its offense.
The Bulldogs took full advantage, driving 59 yards and scoring on a 6-yard Isaiah Weibel quarterback keeper 23.7 seconds before halftime, giving the hosts a 15-point advantage at the break on their way to a 41-13 homecoming victory over the Lions at Doug Dieken Stadium.
“Getting that stop [before halftime] just motivated us,” said Bulldogs senior fullback Tristan Finley, “and Coach had a good speech in the halftime. We came out, and we just wanted it.
“We’ve been putting in a lot of work that nobody’s really seen. We’re inching closer. I’m telling you, we’re this close to clicking. We clicked tonight, and we were a lot better team than we’ve been.”
The win – Streator’s first since Week 1 – lifts the Bulldogs to 2-4 overall, 1-3 in the Illinois Central Eight.
Lisle falls to 0-6, 0-4.
“That was [a big sequence],” Lisle coach Cory Dillard said. “We just had a play that didn’t work out on third down and had to punt the ball.
“Right now we’re bit by the injury bug, and we’re still very young, with one senior playing tonight. So we’re just proud of the kids for sticking it out in a tough situation to be in. They’re not giving up. They’re still working hard.”
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The stop-and-score just before halftime and Streator’s subsequent two third-quarter touchdowns - both by Finley, from 3 and 40 yards away – turned a close game into a decisive victory for the Bulldogs. Streator out-gained Lisle 366-191 in yards from scrimmage, almost having three 100-yard rushers as Jordan Lukes ran the ball 19 times for 111, Weibel 11 times for 100 even and three touchdowns, and Finley 10 times for 82 yards and his two third-quarter scores.
“Defensively, we’re playing better,” Bulldogs coach Matt Cloe said. “We’re still not good yet, but we’re playing better, and definitely getting stops is always going to help you.
“We were a little bit sloppy in the beginning, honestly, but I agree. That [sequence] gave us some momentum back.”
Streator broke a scoreless game late in the first quarter with two touchdowns. Weibel scored the first on an 8-yard scramble and connected with Matt Williamson from 29 yards out for the second and a 14-0 lead at the end of one quarter.
Lisle got one back on the first play of the second quarter with some trickery, a 57-yard wide receiver option pass from Asher Carson to a wide-open Justas Dobilas to cut the deficit to eight. Streator scored again on another Weibel run, Lisle on a 17-yard pass from QB Nolan Ashmore to Jayden Bae, leaving it 20-13 and setting up Lisle with a chance to tie it before the key three-and-out and Streator drive to begin its pull-away.
In addition to his 100 rushing yards, Weibel was 4-for-11 passing for 57 yards with one TD and one interception, with Williamson catching two passes for 50 yards. Jorrick Black led the defense with three tackles for loss plus a quarterback sack, with Riley Stevens and Tyrese Hendrix also recording sacks.
For Lisle, Ashmore was 6 of 23 for 114 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His top target was Bae with three catches for 46 yards and TD, while the Lions defense was led by two tackles for loss apiece by Andrew Schroeder, Ashmore and Adam Drake.
Lisle is at Herscher in Week 7. Streator is at Peotone.