By Fred Kroner
The Blue Devils were held to 217 total yards in their football home opener on Friday (Sept. 3) and dropped a 40-14 decision to Ridgeview/Lexington.
Liam Barr scored both of the Villa Grove touchdowns and also passed for 196 yards, completing 16 of 32 attempts.
Brady Clodfelder had 70 receiving yards, Layne Rund had 49 receiving yards and Robert Fancher had four receptions.
Barr was the team’s rushing leader with eight yards.
“Their offense was not the same that we saw on film,” VG coach Heath Wilson said. “They ran the spread Week 1, but ran a double tight I-formation and overpowered us.
“Their offensive line won the game. They got a good push.”
The Blue Devils’ aerial attack came out of necessity.
“They shut down the run so quickly, and we passed more than we intended,” Wilson said. “I was not unhappy with our effort.”
Daelin Price had six tackles and also returned a fumble recovery to the 1-yard line, setting up Barr’s first quarterback sneak.
Tyler Wilson had a team-high nine tackles in the second game. Clodfelder (seven), Price (six), Luke Zimmerman (six), Gunner Cline (five) and Deandre Reinhart (five) were other team leaders.
“We can’t do anything about last week,” Wilson added. “All we can do is prepare for Cerro Gordo/Bement (1-1) and get better. We hope to get back on track.”
The upcoming home game will be played on Friday (Sept. 10) and will serve as the opener for the Lincoln Prairie Conference teams.
