Dwight/GSW grinds out physical revenge victory over Marquette

OTTAWA – Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington coach Luke Standiford gets a hug from his 3-year-old son, Leo, after every game, win or lose.

It’s a pretty good bet that the one he got this week was a little bit sweeter than the last one he received at Gould Stadium in Ottawa five weeks ago.

Standiford’s Trojans – who used the sting of Marquette’s come-from-behind win in Week 4 and two subsequent losses to toughen up – were back on that Gould Stadium turf Friday night ready to be the bully again.

A 4-yard touchdown run by Evan Cox, a two-point conversion run by Collin Bachand and, after MA scored and threatened to take the lead again in the fourth quarter, a clutch interception on MA’s 2-point try by Caiden Nelson led the Trojans to a wild 21-20 Week 9 victory over the Crusaders.

Marquette, a No. 13 seed, will visit No. 4 Rushville Industry in the opening round of the Class 1A playoffs Friday at 7 p.m.

Dwight/GSW will be a No. 12 in the 2A field and visit No. 5 Momence, also Friday at 7 p.m.

While the Dwight offense was controlling the clock by grinding out 256 yards on the ground, its defense was limiting the home team’s ground game to just 91 yards on 34 attempts.

Still, that defense needed another big interception – this one by Joe Duffy on Marquette’s final play – to ensure the win and a better seed for the 6-3 club when the IHSA postseason pairings are revealed. Marquette should also be in, finishing 5-4 with plenty of playoff points.

“I’d say 100% we are more battle-ready,” said Standiford, whose club started 3-0, then lost three before squeaking by St. Bede 29-27 in Week 7. “Finding a way to win a close game like that one at St. Bede, that was huge for us. Those first three games were blowouts, we weren’t tested, but we got a reality check in that three-game stretch. That made us play harder and do the little things right.

“Offensively this was a similar game for us, though we did take better care of the ball this time. This time, the key was the adjustment we made on defense and shutting down the plays that they like to do.”

Cox finished with 10 carries for 110 yards, Dylan Crouch 14 for 95, and Ayden Collum 13 for 60 to pace Dwight/GSW’s rush.

For Marquette, Anthony Couch connected on 8-of-14 passes for 135 yards, but was picked twice. Payton Gutierrez led the hosts’ runners with 11 tries for 48 yards.

The 5-4 Crusaders, who grabbed a 26-21 win over Dwight in Week 4, struck first this time on a 40-yard TD strike from Anthony Couch to Jaxsen Higgins, who caught the bomb and shook a defender at the 10 before going in for the score. Sam Mitre added the PAT.

That started a flurry of scoring, first by the visitors with a 73-yard drive capped by a Cox 8-yard score early in the second stanza that, with Angel Martin’s kick tied it at 7-7. Marquette answered with a 46-yard pass from Couch to Blayden Cassel (four catches, 76 yards), leading to that pair hooking up for a 7-yard TD eight plays later.

But the Trojans used a little trickery to get closer, Cox throwing a halfback pass to a wide-open Drew Anderson for a 31-yard score. A bad snap ruined the PAT, leaving MA on top 14-13 at the break.

Dwight got what proved the game winner in the third quarter, Cox rambling 47 yards to set up his own 4-yard touchdown. Bachand’s conversion run into the line ended up a scrum that the Trojans pushed over the line for a 21-14 edge.

The Crusaders got one last chance when Grant Dose recovered a Trojans fumble at the MA 2, then converted three fourth-down situations to go the length of the field, Couch finding Gutierrez for the TD with 4:44 remaining.

The Crusaders went for the lead instead of the tie, but Couch’s pass over the middle was picked off by Nelson to keep Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington in front. Duffy’s pick then iced the win.

“They were ready for us this time, and they’re a good team,” Marquette coach Tom Jobst said. “Their backs ran hard, and we were getting our hands on them, we just weren’t hanging on to them. … They’re a very good team.”