NewsTribune football notebook: BV coach Mat Pistole ‘encouraged’ after close loss

Despite losing 27-21 to Elmwood-Brimfield (5-1) and coming up short on the final play from the 4-yard line, Bureau Valley coach Mat Pistole said he feels good about how his team is playing entering the final stretch of the regular season.

The Storm sit at 3-3 with games at Illini West (3-3), at Macomb (5-1) and home against West Hancock (1-5) to close out the regular season.

Bureau Valley needs to win two of its three remaining games to become playoff eligible for the first time since 2016.

“I’m super encouraged by where we’re at,” Pistole said. “This [Elmwood-Brimfield] team’s an 8-1, probably quarterfinalist-ish football team. I think they’re that good, so to be able to play them toe to toe and do what we did tonight shows we belong, and I hope our kids really believe now that we can hang with anybody.”

A LONG STREAK

With Friday’s 14-7 win over Ottawa, La Salle-Peru has won 11 consecutive games against the Pirates. Ottawa’s last win over L-P was a 50-20 victory in 2014.

The Cavaliers’ current winning streak is the second longest in the rivalry’s history. L-P won 13 games in a row from 1935-47.

The Pirates’ longest winning streak was eight games from 1988-95. Ottawa also won nine straight on-field games from 2005-14 with L-P claiming a forfeit win in 2009 to interrupt the streak.

The Cavaliers lead the all-time series 71-50-5.

DOWN TO THE WIRE

Like in any longtime rivalry, Ottawa and La Salle-Peru have had their share of games where the outcome hinged on the last couple of possessions, and the Cavaliers’ 14-7 win over the Pirates on Friday in the 126th all-time meeting added to the list.

A look back at the all-time results now shows 48 games have been decided by seven points or less or almost 40% of the time.

FIRST MULTI-TD GAME

Princeton senior Arthur Burden scored two touchdowns in a game for the first time in his career Friday during the Tigers’ 41-0 win over Hall-Putnam County.

With time running down in the first quarter, Will Lott connected with Burden for a 36-yard TD strike to put the Tigers up 14-0.

“That was awesome,” Burden said. “That was the first time I’ve run that play. Just seeing the back creeping up, and then seeing that ‘wow’ on his face, that was exciting. It was a lot of fun. I’m glad he trusted me to throw the ball my way.”

Lott and Burden hooked up on another TD reception – this one for 18 yards – to give the Tigers a 28-0 lead just over two minutes into the second half.

Burden finished with three receptions for 63 yards.

“I think we ran it three times, and Arthur had three really good catches. Will did a great job putting it on him,” Princeton coach Ryan Pearson said.

DEFENSIVE SCORES

Multiple area teams scored on defense last week.

Princeton’s Ace Christiansen intercepted a pass and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 8:24 left in the first quarter to spark a 41-0 victory.

Fieldcrest’s Braydin Eplin had a fumble recovery touchdown in the Knights’ 28-14 loss to Fisher.

UNORTHODOX OFFENSE

Elmwood-Brimfield presented Bureau Valley with a unique challenge Friday as the Trojans run an uncommon offense with the double wing, double tight set in which the linemen and tight ends have foot-to-foot splits.

“It’s just different,” Pistole said. “They’ve been running it for 25 years, so they just know it like the back of their hands. The kids run it probably when they’re in third grade, so they just know it so well and they can execute it at such a high level. It’s just really difficult to stop for four quarters, and that’s why they do it and that’s why they’re successful. That’s why coach [Todd] Hollis has such a good program.”

Pistole said it’s hard to mimic the offense in practice to prepare a scheme.

“It’s next to impossible,” Pistole said. “I think our kids did a really good job of simulating it in practice. I was very happy with how our scout team did. I was super proud of our kids. I think we were really prepared. I think we were in the right spots. It’s just, they lean on you and they know all the checks and know all the changes they need to make as the game goes on to be successful, and that’s what they did.