North Stars fall short

MOLINE -- After two straight years of St. Charles North-Moline playoff matchups, the teams have proven there are a few outcomes to expect.

• The last drive will decide the game.

• Regular-season records don't mean much -- the teams are about as evenly matched as possible.

• Something significant goes to the victor.

A year after St. Charles North won its first playoff game in school history at Moline, the Maroons snapped a streak of 11 straight playoff losses with a 14-7 victory over the North Stars on Friday night.

No. 2 Moline (9-1) will play either No. 6 Batavia or No. 3 East St. Louis in the second round of the Class 7A playoffs next week.

Last year, the North Stars drove for a late touchdown, then converted a 2-point conversion to win 14-13.

This year, St. Charles North (5-5) started on its own 4-yard line with 2:13 remaining and drove to the Moline 36 before the drive stalled.

"That's what you say when you are 7 years old and watching TV," said North Stars running back Nic Higgins. "Two minutes left, start on your own 4, that John Elway drive came to my mind. I'm doing the same thing. But we came up short."

Moline's Derek Branham broke a 7-7 tie by breaking several tackles on a 9-yard scoring run with 2:14 remaining.

Prior to that, the St. Charles North defense did everything it could to win the game. The North Stars recovered 4 fumbles and Jim Vojahosky intercepted his fifth pass.

They left an impression on a Moline team that won its ninth straight game.

"They are an excellent team, they are out there hitting hard," Branham said.

"It means a lot for us (to snap the 11 straight playoffs losses). We've been thinking of that all week. We wanted to get that win for our coach. Everyone thought Moline gets knocked out in the first round. We wanted to change that."

The Maroons did it by shutting down the North Stars' running game. The North Stars averaged less than 3 yards a carry and finished with 81 yards, just 20 in the first half on 15 carries.

St. Charles North also struggled with the snap in its shotgun formation, fumbling five times. Even though the North Stars recovered each of them, it often left them in second- and third-and-longs.

"I don't know how many times we had fumbled snaps and mistakes," said North Stars coach Mark Gould. "That was it. When you make mistakes in a playoff game against a good team, you can't give them that many chances. We gave them a couple too many chances."

Neither team scored in the first half. Linebacker Brandon Nothnagel set the tone for Moline's 5-turnover night with a hard hit on the Maroons' second possession, and lineman Tim Janeway recovered.

Trevor Dunne forced another fumble that Janeway again recovered.

St. Charles North couldn't convert, missing its best chance when the North Stars fumbled at Moline's 6-yard line. Both teams also missed field goals in the first half.

The second half started where the first ended, with Moline fumbling the kickoff and Mike Lefelstein recovering. The Maroons also fumbled a punt that Jake Juriga recovered.

Despite all the mistakes, Moline took a 7-0 lead on Bennett Welser's 7-yard run in the third quarter. St. Charles North answered with Higgins' 18-yard burst to tie the game with 9:46 left.

"They showed a heck of a lot of heart," Gould said. "That's what I told the guys. Sometimes it doesn't always turn out on the scoreboard the way you want it, but if you play with pride and play with a lot of heart, you are successful."