Sophomore Layne Rund caught two touchdown passes and ran for one score on Friday (Oct. 8) as Villa Grove’s football team dealt visiting Tri-County a 55-6 loss.

“He is confident in his routes and is coming on strong at the right time,” Villa Grove coach Heath Wilson said.

Parker Stevens rushed for two touchdowns and ran for a team-high 100 yards.

“He’s a hard runner,” Wilson said.

Daelin Price converted the placekick after seven of the Blue Devils’ scores.

Also reaching the scoring column were Liam Barr (who threw for the two TDs to Rund), Gunner Cline and Brady Clodfelder, on a fumble recovery.

Barr completed 6 of 11 passes for 141 yards.

“Our offensive line did well giving Liam time to pass,” Wilson said.

Rund was the go-to receiver, latching onto four receptions for 106 yards.

His career as a receiver will likely be short-lived. He is projected as the Blue Devils’ quarterback of the future.

Luke Zimmerman rushed for 48 yards. Cline added 35 yards on the ground.

Villa Grove has put 92 points on the board during its current two-game winning streak.

“We made some adjustments,” Wilson said. “They’re firing off the ball and executing better.

“The mentality changed and they believe (in themselves).”

Zimmerman led a defense that held the Titans to 164 total yards. He had a monster game, collecting 24 tackles (three shy of the single-game school record).

“They were keying on him and he was getting frustrated on offense,” Wilson said, “but he was all over the field on defense.”

Tyler Wilson had 10 tackles, Elijah Kiesel had nine tackles. Deandre Reinhart had seven stops. Finishing with six tackles apiece were Price and Stevens.

Villa Grove (5-2) becomes playoff-eligible and returns to action on Friday (Oct. 15) at Arcola (5-2). This week’s winner will be assured of an automatic playoff berth.

Arcola has clinched at least a share of the Illini Prairie Conference title, but Wilson has a message for his team.

“If we win out, we can share the conference title,” Wilson said. “We’re playoff-eligible, but that’s not the end goal. We want to get the sixth (win), to be sure.”

Teams with five wins are not guaranteed a spot in the postseason, though the majority usually make the cut.

The post Villa Grove hands Tri-County loss first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Blue Devils’ football team moved one step closer to becoming playoff-eligible on Friday (Oct. 1) with a 37-14 win at Niantic over Sangamon Valley.

Villa Grove, which led 22-0 at halftime, is 4-2 overall ahead of the Friday (Oct. 8) Senior Night home-finale against Tri-County.

“We didn’t play our best, but we got the job done,” Villa Grove coach Heath Wilson said.

Any momentum that Sangamon Valley had gained by scoring early in the third period was alleviated seconds later when Gunner Cline returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown.

Luke Zimmerman posted his third consecutive 100-yard rushing performance, rambling for 165 yards on 13 carries. He scored two touchdowns.

“He’s a play-maker and wants the ball,” Wilson said. “He gets stronger as the game goes on. He and Parker Stevens are a couple of workhorses.”

Liam Barr hooked up with Layne Rund for a 57-yard scoring strike.

Zimmerman had a team-high 10 tackles. Other defensive leaders were Brady Clodfelder (eight tackles), Robert Fancher (five tackles), Elijah Kiesel (five tackles) and Daelin Price (five tackles).

Barr intercepted two passes and Tyler Wilson picked off one Sangamon Valley pass.

“Our defense played well,” Wilson said. “Elijah had three sacks. We told the defensive line they would win or lose the game.”

Joining Kiesel on the defensive front were Deandre Reinhart, Price and Parker Knierim.

“From last week to this week, they got back to hard-nosed football,” Wilson said. “We stressed defense, defense, defense.”

Villa Grove gained 242 total yards and held Sangamon Valley to 196 yards, the first opponent it kept under 200 yards this season.

Price converted three conversion kicks for the Blue Devils.

The post Blue Devils get fourth win over Sangamon Valley first appeared on SJO Daily.

State-ranked Toledo Cumberland took a 40-0 lead into halftime of a Friday (Sept. 24) homecoming game at Villa Grove and went on to a 47-8 triumph.

The Blue Devils got on the board with 7 minutes to play when Liam Barr hooked up with Brady Clodfelder on a 10-yard scoring strike.

Tyler Wilson ran in the two-point conversion.

Barr completed 5 of 16 passes for 27 yards.

Luke Zimmerman (64 yards) and Parker Stevens (39 yards) were the top Villa Grove ground-gainers.

Cumberland, ranked 14th in Class 2A, held a 332-165 edge in total yards.

Defensively, the Blue Devils’ leaders were Clodfelder (seven tackles), Zimmerman (six tackles) and Stevens (five tackles). Robert Fancher and Elijah Kiesel each ended with three tackles.

“We got beat on both sides of the ball,” Villa Grove coach Heath Wilson said. “They pretty much took away everything.

“I’m proud of our kids. They played until the very last minute.”

Wilson said there are some lessons that can be taken from the game.

“It’s kind of a learning process,” Wilson said. “We’ll see if our boys have some grit.

“We have to learn that not everything is easy. This determines where we have to go from here.”

Villa Grove (3-2) returns to action on Friday (Oct. 1) against Sangamon Valley (1-4) in Niantic.

“We have to take care of business this week,” Wilson said.

Tackle Connor Black, who has missed the last two games, is expected back, and Wilson said, “we will ease him back into things.”

The post Toledo Cumberland defeats Villa Grove football first appeared on SJO Daily.