Payton no match for Harper

Updated: October 28, 2011 7:31PM

Payton may have been a second place team from the Public League Chicago Conference but they didn’t play like it for almost two quarters. Payton forced Harper to change its mindset about the game in order to get a 48-0 victory in the first round of the Class 4A IHSA state playoffs.

Harper couldn’t get anything going against the Payton defense until 2:29 remaining in the second quarter when a broken play allowed quarterback Kewane Pipkens to scoop up a bobbled snap and turn it into a 59-yard touchdown run. Two minutes later Pipkens connected with Dennis Barnes on a 20-touchdown pass to put Harper up 16-0 at half time.

After half time it was all Cardinals, as running back Antoryio Barton scored three touchdowns on runs of one, eight and 12 yards. Barton had 16 carries for 87 yards. Pipkens also scored on a 28 yard run. He finished with eight carries for 107 yards. Linebacker, Kevin Brown led the defense with eight tackles and one sack.

Pipkens said the team was flat in the first half.

“They came to play and we did not have our heads in the right place,” said Pipkens. “We got things together and started playing football like we knew we could play.”

Payton coach Anthony Faltin said his team had some opportunities that they didn’t take advantage of.

“This is a problem that has plagued us all year. Offensively we just couldn’t move the ball.”

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.