Rough road as Prospect falls short
ROCKFORD -- Going into Friday's first-round Class 7A football playoff game, it looked as if it would be host Rockford Boylan's night over Prospect.
On paper, the No. 1 seed Titans boasted a 9-0 record to the 16th seeded, 5-4 Knights.
But Prospect wasn't going down that easy.
In many regards, the Knights outplayed the Titans, but some tough breaks and a few questionable calls took their toll.
A Boylan touchdown with less than two minutes play sealed the deal as Prospect fell 14-7.
"The officiating (was terrible) -- it was ridiculous and unacceptable," said Prospect coach Brent Pearlman. "That game was (unacceptable). It was out of our hands.
"I'm really fuming about it right now. I guess you have to overcome that. (The officiating) was not acceptable for an IHSA playoff game."
A quick look at the stats shows how the Knights dominated much of the game. In terms of yardage, they outgained the Titans 348-234 and had a first-down advantage of 15-12.
Prospect also found the end zone first.
Midway through the second quarter, a steady drive resulted in an 11-yard TD run by starting quarterback Miles Osei put the Knights up 7-0.
"Our guys played well," Pearlman said. "They came out and battled the way they should have."
However, Boylan (10-0) answered with a scoring drive capped by a 1-yard run by Jack Didier to go into the half tied 7-7.
In two second-half drives, once Prospect threatened, a holding call reversed its fortune.
With less than two minutes to play, Boylan went ahead on a 4-yard stroll by Justin Janicke.
"(Prospect's) an awfully good football team," said Boylan coah Dan Appino. "They played really well. They're well-coached. I'm proud our kids were able to hang in there and get a 'W.'"
Boylan's effort was about what Pearlman expected.
"Nothing surprised us," Pearlman said. "We got down there a couple times early and didn't get points. We got a touchdown called back. We had some things going well.
"Our defense played well. Our kids played hard."
In the final minutes, Prospect moved the ball quickly and with just a few seconds left, a long potential touchdown pass by Al Lazarz to John Coen was ruled incomplete.
The Knights (5-5) collected 266 yards on the ground led by Patrick Mack (19 carries, 127 yards) and Osei (16 carries, 87 yards).
"I think we had some struggles along the way," Pearlman said. "But the last couple weeks the kids have really done it right. I'm very glad they got this opportunity. The last couple weeks they've had a blast."