MURPHYSBORO, Ill. — When Breese Central coach Brian Short asked quarterback Preston Baker on Friday what he wanted to run on Saturday’s first play, Baker responded quickly.
Run Atomic, he said.
One perfectly thrown 65-yard touchdown pass to Carter Deien, and the undefeated Cougars were on their way to nuking Murphysboro.
The 34-7 final not only advanced top-seeded Breese Central (11-0) to a Class 4A quarterfinal game at home next weekend against No. 12 Mt. Zion, which outscored Peoria Notre Dame 43-29, but gave the program its first playoff road win in Short’s 18 years at the helm.
“That’s a great win for us,” he said. “I think I know a lot about this program and I don’t remember winning a playoff game on the road. That’s big.”
And not just any road venue, either. Bencini Field has become a true home-field advantage in recent years during the Red Devils’ rise to being one of the top 4A teams in the state under veteran coach Gary Carter.
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Murphysboro fans were ready to make noise but their spirits were dampened not only by the rain but by an opponent that wasted no time putting its stamp on the game. After a three-and-out, Baker got to run his play.
The quick screen he first looked for was covered. On the other hand, Deien ran unfettered down the middle of the field. Baker hit him in stride on the Red Devil logo around midfield and it was 7-0 just 2:38 into the game.
“It takes the pressure off you, knowing that you can score multiple times if you have to,” Baker said.
Baker didn’t have to work quite as hard for his next long touchdown. A short pass to Jack Sterkis on the left sideline turned into a 54-yard score as Sterkis got a nice block on the back side and then outraced the final defender into the end zone at the 7:03 mark.
There was no way Baker could possibly be as efficient as that over the game’s remainder but he still wound up with terrific numbers, collecting 231 yards on 10 of 20 accuracy and a meaningless interception on the first half’s final play.
By that time, the defense had did its part to keep Murphysboro (8-3) from grabbing any momentum. Carter sprung an old-school Wing-T formation with multiple tight ends on the Cougars early in the second quarter, driving from the Red Devils’ 13 to the Breese Central 3 as Tyjaire Kellum and Mason Bastien took turns grinding out yardage between the tackles.
But Murphysboro couldn’t get those last 3 yards. A wildcat formation run by Kellum on third down was stopped for no gain. His fourth down sweep around the left side lost 6 yards.
The Red Devils owned the ball for 8:44, chewed up 78 yards and got nothing to show for it.
“No secret there,” Carter said. “They just executed better than we did. If we could have punched it in, we could have had momentum going to halftime. That’s a fickle thing, you know.”
Momentum wasn’t interested in changing sidelines after halftime, either. Breese Central chewed up 80 yards and more than five minutes of clock to start the third quarter, getting a 1-yard score from Kaden Rakers at the 6:43 mark for a 20-0 lead.
Rakers ended the game’s competitive phase on the final play of the period on a 4-yard touchdown run. Teammate Griffen Becker added a 35-yard pick-six with 3:05 left in the game before Kellum sprinted 80 yards for Murphysboro’s only score.
Aside from that run, Short couldn’t find a fault with his defense.
“We faced the best back we’ve seen all year and except for that touchdown run, we held him under 100 yards,” he said of Kellum. “When they kept them out of the end zone before halftime, that was the key to the game.”
