By Fred Kroner
Villa Grove stayed with third-rated Camp Point Central for much of the first quarter in the Saturday (Oct. 30) IHSA Class 1A football playoff game.
The teams were tied, 8-8, until the final 2 minutes of the opening frame, when Camp Point went on a five-touchdown spree and pulled away from the Blue Devils, 48-14.
Liam Barr scored the first VG touchdown and passed to Layne Rund for the two-point conversion at the 3:46 mark of the first quarter.
The team’s final TD was on a 13-yard pass from Rund to Parker Stevens early in the fourth period.
Villa Grove coach Heath Wilson said one of his team’s objectives was met.
“We wanted to stop the run and make them pass to beat us,” Wilson said, “because they are not used to that.”
Camp Point completed four passes. Each one went for a touchdown and accounted for 179 of the team’s yards.
This year marked the third in Wilson’s four years as head coach that VG has qualified for the postseason. The 2020 postseason was canceled by COVID-19, eliminating the chance to qualify.
“It’s nice to get into the playoffs,” Wilson said, “but we can’t be satisfied. We need, sooner or later, to make a run and advance.”
Wilson said the future looks bright.
“With only six seniors, we have a lot of kids returning,” Wilson said, “and a lot of young kids got to experience playoff football.”
One of the returnees is junior Luke Zimmerman. With a team-high 12 tackles in his finale, Zimmerman broke the school’s single-season tackling record.
He ended the year with 155 stops. The previous mark (149) was set by A.J. Woodworth in 2008.
Zimmerman was also the team’s rushing leader for the season. He gained 34 of his 788 yards against Camp Point. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry this season.
Counting returns and receiving yards, Zimmerman amassed 1,016 all-purpose yards for the year.
Barr led the Blue Devils in scoring (48 points) and passing yards (782). Rund was the top receiver (295 yards) and Brady Clodfelder led in receptions (16).
Wilson was pleased that the COVID-shortened season which took place during the 2020-21 school year wasn’t repeated.
Football programs in the state were allowed six games, and they took place in March and April.
“We were playing for something this year,” Wilson said, referring to the playoffs, “whereas last year it was for the seniors to get their last games in.
“We weren’t just playing to say we’d played a football game.”
The current group of VG seniors is a special one for Wilson. They were freshmen when he took over the program.
“These are the kids I came in with,” Wilson said.
Villa Grove ends the season with a 5-5 record. Camp Point Central advances into the second round with a 9-1 mark.
