Buschbacher makes big plays in Kaneland's win
Often in sports, the key plays of the game don't wind up in the stat column. That theory was never more accurate for the Kaneland Knights Friday night in Sycamore.
Quinn Buschbacher hauled in two long scores for the Knights to give them a 21-14 lead late in the fourth quarter, but the sophomore receiver's biggest play might have come with 1:50 left in the game and the Knights with the ball and attempting to run out the clock.
On third and three, Joe Camiliere hit Ryley Bailey for a 21-yard gain, but the senior was hit hard and fumbled the ball. Buschbacher, who was trailing in the play looking to make a block, dove on the ball to preserve the drive and the 21-14 Western Sun Conference victory for the Knights.
"Coming down to the wire there, I was just trying to keep up with him the entire time," Buschbacher said. "Coach always tells us to stay with the play, so that's what I did. Good things happen to you when you give 100 percent."
Kaneland coach Tom Fedderly agreed with his speedy sophomore.
"He's hustling around and he made a play for us," Fedderly said. "That's what we tell all of the kids - go to the whistle blows."
The night didn't start out quite the way Kaneland (3-1, 2-0) had hoped. After driving to the Spartans' 36-yard line on their opening drive, a fumbled snap wound up in the hands of Sycamore's Taylor Dillon. The Spartans appeared ready to capitalize on the opportunity, driving to the Knights' 5-yard line on an 11-play drive. However, the Knights defense tightened and the Spartans missed a field goal.
After a scoreless first quarter, Camiliere lofted a pass to Buschbacher who ran it down to complete the 32-yard scoring play early in the second quarter.
A year ago both defenses were touched for over 30 points, but this matchup appeared early on to have the making of a defensive battle.
Sycamore (3-1, 1-1) came out charged in the second half and put together a five-play, 68-yard drive to tie the game 7-7. Back-to-back runs by Joe Dougherty and Markie Hayes for 19 and 27 yards, respectively, brought the ball to the 25, and Bartels took it in from the 11 shortly after.
After both sides exchanged punts, the Camiliere to Buschbacher combination struck again. On their first play of the drive and in nearly the exact way, Camiliere put the pass exactly where Buschbacher would eventually be for a 68-yard touchdown pass.
The Spartans went back to work on the ground using their own combination of Hayes, Dougherty and Bartels. It took them 17 plays to go 68 yards this time, but Bartels found the end zone on a quarterback keeper with just over nine minutes to play in the game.
Kaneland started its next drive on its own 35. After an incomplete pass and a run that resulted in no gain, Camiliere darted around the end, tiptoed to stay in bounds, and appeared to get the 10 yards he needed to keep the drive alive. However, an official measurement determined that he was inches short, and the Knights elected to go for it. Camiliere's keeper for 3 yards earned the first down, and the junior found Blake Serpa on the next play for a 27-yard gain. Two plays later, Camiliere and Serpa hooked up again over the middle for a 23-yard touchdown pass to clinch the game for the Knights.
Fedderly indicated that playing a long-standing rival like Sycamore at their home was not an easy task.
"This is our oldest rivalry and they're a very good team," Fedderly said. "I have a lot of respect for what they do over here. I think they did a good job with what they do and they gave us some trouble tonight. Tonight we got lucky and pulled it out."