Sandwich title hopes fall short

Updated: March 22, 2011 5:02PM

It was a great run deep into the state Class 4A playoffs for Sandwich, but

the Indians' season came to an end one step short of where they wanted it

to, losing 19-0 Saturday to Rock Island Alleman at Ericson Stadium on the

campus of Augustana College.

The Indians finish a school-record 11-2 on the year, while Alleman stays

perfect at 13-0 and will meet unbeaten Rochester in Friday's state title

game in Champaign.

"We came so close, but we didn't get it," said running back Tim Schmitt, who

rushed for 24 yards. "Every game of the playoffs is hard. Everybody gave

their best and we came up short."

The two teams were mirror images of each other in terms of a run-oriented

offense and stingy defense, but Alleman set the tone when it took the

opening kickoff 67 yards on 11 plays, which Justin Quintana capped with a

12-yard run with 7:21 to go in the first quarter.

The Pioneers rushed the ball 46 times for 197 yards, and outside of a

38-yard run by Ryan O'Keeffe, who led the way with 117 yards on 20 carries,

used their option attack to slowly chip away at the Sandwich defense and use

loads of clock.

In the first half alone, Alleman's four possessions took over 14 minutes.

Alleman's touchdown drive in the second quarter lasted 6:27 and quarterback Tim

Boland made it a 13-0 game when he scored on a 1-yard sneak with 3:21 to go

before halftime.

"That's Alleman football," O'Keefe said. "We knew when we had the ball we

had to keep it in our hands."

Alleman put itself in short-yardage situations often, and then converted

them to move the chains. The Pioneers usually got one more yard than they

needed to, getting first downs and keeping drives going.

"They ran hard and we didn't tackle well in the first half, and when you do

that against good teams they will make you pay," Sandwich coach Derek Avery

said. "They did to us what we did to a lot of other teams this year. By the

time we felt like we got anything going we were down by two scores."

The Pioneers' defense, meanwhile, held the Indians usually effective Wing-T

offense in check. Sandwich managed just 85 yards on the ground, with P.J.

Crotty leading the way with 41 yards on 13 carries before he suffered a

serious injury midway through the third quarter and was removed from the

field on a stretcher.

With the run game stopped and the Indians trailing, they had no choice but

to go to the air. Harassed by Alleman's pass rush, Justin Wegener was forced

to throw the ball 20 times, but was able to complete just half of those

passes for 52 yards.

"They were very well-prepared and it was tough to get anything going on

them," Schmitt said. "When we got to a hole we were met by three guys

instantly. Give credit to their defense. Defense wins games and championships

and that is why the scoreboard said what it did."

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