Yorkville uses early TDs to sink Streator

Updated: August 27, 2011 12:42AM

Neil O’Brien quickly discovered what a tailback’s role is under head coach Karl Hoinkes. Take the handoff and run.

The Yorkville senior, who missed almost all of the last two seasons with injuries, accepted the ball on 27 occasions and ran for 184 yards, including two touchdowns, at Campbell Field Friday night leading the Foxes to a 21-12 victory over Streator in front of a jubilant home crowd.

“He’s going to be sore tomorrow, but that’s what a tailback does,” said former Oswego and first-year Yorkville coach Hoinkes. “My tailback’s are going to get the football. If you know anything about Oswego football for all those years, you know our tailback is going to get the football.”

Yorkville’s defense opened the scoring, however. On Streator’s first possession, Bobby Schillinger stopped the Bulldogs at the line of scrimmage on consecutive plays before stripping the ball on third down. After wrapping up Mike Knox in the backfield, Schillinger ripped the ball loose and sent it bouncing into the end zone where Brandan Mispagel dove on it for a 6-0 lead. Ilir Emini connected on the first of his three extra points and the Foxes had a 7-0 advantage 1:29 into the contest.

Penalties backed up the Bulldogs on the ensuing possession, and Yorkville (1-0) capitalized on the short field traveling 29 yards on five plays. O’Brien capped the drive with a 5-yard plunge at the 4:54 mark.

A 49-yard jaunt by O’Brien extended the Foxes lead to 21-0 with 33 ticks left in the opening quarter. O’Brien burst through the line and with one man to beat he made a dash for the pylon.

“I was just thinking of getting into the end zone,” O’Brien said. “Just wanted to get the score up and put the knife to their throat.”

“Neil ran the ball hard,” Hoinkes said. “He had a great run on that one. He made a great cutback and he was gone. And we liked to see that from him because we know he’s got the speed, but we weren’t sure where he’s at because he got hurt the first game last year and didn’t play the rest of the year.”

Streator scored a pair of touchdowns in the final quarter. Jeff Lamango (12 rushes for 72 yards) scored on a 17-yard run, and Zach Cinnamon added a 2-yard score for the Bulldogs.

By all indications, O’Brien is 100 percent.

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