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OSWEGO – It’s rarely flashy when Oswego is on the gridiron. More times than not, it’s a short yardage carry or a routine tackle that makes the difference.
Friday night, it was a steady dose of running back Ayden Villa down the stretch of a close game that propelled the Panthers past Waubonsie Valley and into the second round. Villa put the game away with a physical run with just under 9 minutes to play in the contest, the cherry on top of his 135-yard performance and a 21-7 victory.
“I haven’t had a touchdown in a while,” Villa said. “It felt great icing the game.”
Oswego (10-0) started out slow. The Panthers’ first drive ended in a punt near midfield, and its next two drives finished with field goals – the first a 21-yarder, and the second a 47-yard field goal that just had enough leg from Kaleb Stumpenhorst.
“Our head wasn’t in the game yet,” Villa said. “We got used to it and ran the ball all over them and did what we do.”
The Panthers offense rushed for 242 yards against the Waubonsie Valley defense.
“My job is not to sell tickets. It’s to win games,” Oswego coach Brian Cooney said of his team’s old-school nature. “Move the chains, run the clock, and when you have to punt, pin them inside the 20.”
Waubonsie Valley (5-5) had its fair share of chances. The Warriors missed two field goals in the first half – a 31-yarder and a 39-yarder – and threw an interception at the goal line out of the Wildcat formation.
Down 6-0 early in the third, the Warriors’ running game was having success against a usually stout Oswego defense. Chrisjan Simmons had just rattled off a 21-yard run and a 6-yard carry to get the Warriors inside the Oswego 10.
On the next snap, Simmons lined up as the quarterback, took the snap and attempted a throw on the run into the end zone. The pass was picked off by Oswego’s Jeremiah Cain, ending the threat and giving the Panthers the momentum.
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With four minutes left in the contest, Simmons bounced back with a 10-yard touchdown run. He rushed for 51 yards on 15 carries.
“Josh Siekierski and Chrisjan really started to hit their stride,” Waubonsie Valley coach Adam Pucylowski said. “Really proud of our kids not quitting and the effort they gave.”
After the pick, the Panthers embarked on a grueling 94-yard drive that featured a heavy dose of Dekker Zelensek supplemented with the occasional Brett Connolly pass. Zelensek ran it in from 25 yards out to finish the drive and give the Panthers a 14-0 lead.
“The common thread is the dudes up front,” Cooney said. “They like to be leaning forward and putting hats-on-hats as opposed to kicking back.”
Zelensek had 96 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown. Villa carried the ball 19 times for 135 yards and another TD.
Waubonsie quarterback Josh Siekierski was poised in the pocket. He completed 19-of-36 passes for 184 yards. The Warriors offensive line kept their QB upright most of the night against a defense that prides itself on pressuring the quarterback. Siekierski was only sacked once.
“Josh is one of our captains,” Pucylowski said. “Really proud of his ability to stand in there and throw the ball.”
Siekierski is just one of the many seniors the first-year coach is going to miss.
“We had a great group of seniors,” Pucylowski said. “We have a group of juniors that have an opportunity now to continue the program.”
Oswego now has its sights set on York, which beat Edwardsville handily Friday night.
“We’re going to have to have a good game plan and have a good week of prep,” Cooney said. “We’ll see what we can do what against a very good football team.”
Villa’s in lockstep with his coach.
“We’ve got to get our head rights and get healthy,” Villa said. “We’ve got to come to win.”