Sterling surges in first half to defeat Rock Island

The Rock Island football team found itself just trying to hold on for a chance late against Sterling on Friday.

The Rocks (4-3, 3-2), however, dug themselves too deep a hole in the second quarter and eventually fell 56-35 to Sterling in a pivotal Western Big 6 matchup.

The Rocks kept pace with Sterling (6-1, 5-0 WB6) in the second half, but were never able to get back within one score.

Allowing 41 points in the first half and turning it over twice will do that.

“The team that wins the turnover battle wins the game,” Rock Island coach Ben Hammer said. “If it’s by two or more, it’s something crazy, they win the game like 97% of the time. We just can’t have that happen.”

Two Rock Island fumbles led to 14 points for Sterling before the break. But even without the fumbles, the Rocks were having issues at the line of scrimmage.

The run defense was an issue. By halftime, the Golden Warriors had 261 yards on the ground, with 157 of them coming from junior running back Antonio Tablante.

And they came quickly. Tablante had rushes of 45, 52 and 20 yards in the first half.

Sterling scored touchdowns on five of its first six drives, all on the ground.

“They were physical up front,” Hammer said. “Their backs ran hard, and we were not physical enough.”

However, it was Rock Island that got the scoring started. Quonterrion Brooks took the opening kickoff to the house from 87 yards out after bobbling the ball, throwing Sterling off its normal kick coverage. But that would be the only time the Rocks held the lead.

The Golden Warriors immediately responded on a six-play, 61-yard drive after Tablante picked up his first chunk-yardage rush of the game.

The scoring didn’t stop there.

Golden Warriors quarterback Drew Kested was efficient, gaining 65 yards and scoring twice on just five first half runs. Kested’s first touchdown run was a rollout to his left where he tiptoed down the sideline and dove inside the pylon for the score. That put Sterling ahead 21-7 with 11:55 left in the second.

Yet Rock Island refused to go away. Three touchdown strikes from quarterback Eli Reese to receiver Marieon Anderson kept the Rocks from getting blown out.

Reese found Anderson on a post route for the first two touchdowns on what looked to be the same play. The first came from 27 yards out and the second from 24.

The biggest play of the game, however, might have been Anderson’s fumble right before the half.

With Sterling leading 35-21, Rock Island had the ball and was looking to make it a one possession game. But on a screen play that gained enough yardage for a first down, Anderson fumbled and Sterling’s Carter Ryan scooped it up at the 41-yard line and ran it back.

“Not only was it tough for us to have the fumble return go back for the score, but the screen play was going to be a big play too,” Hammer said.

That made it 41-21 at halftime.

Sterling scored on its first drive of the third quarter, but didn’t score again until 1:20 left in the game.

“We got a little bit of energy going,” Hammer said. “We started believing in what we were doing, but then we started to run out of time.”

Two Rock Island touchdowns, one from Xavier George and one from Anderson, cut the score to 48-35 late in the fourth, but that’s as close as the Rocks would get.

Sterling took off six minutes, 12 seconds on its final touchdown drive to put the game away. Tablante ran it in from 7 yards out to essentially end the game.

Sterling rushed 53 times for 379 yards, including 199 yards and two scores from Tablante on 22 carries. AJ Kested ran for 79 yards and three touchdowns, and Drew Kested added 70 yards and two TDs on the ground, and was 4-for-7 passing for 55 yards. Carter Ryan caught three passes for 49 yards.

Sterling improved to 16-1 all-time in the WB6.

George led Rock Island with 141 yards rushing and a touchdown. Reese was 10-for-11 passing for 127 yards, three TDs and an interception, and Anderson caught six passes for 73 yards and all three scores.