Quincy grinds out victory against Metea Valley

QUINCY, Ill. - It was apparent to the Metea Valley football team on just the third play of the game. This wasn't going to be its type of ballgame.

After throwing 4 touchdown passes in the season opener against Plainfield East, the Mustangs were picked off on their first pass from scrimmage and three times in all Friday night in a 17-7 loss to Quincy.

Of the three interceptions, one stuck out more than any other.

Trailing 10-0 and nestled inside its own 1-yard line midway through the third quarter, the Metea Valley quarterback dropped back to pass only to be hassled by a Blue Devils defender in the end zone. In a desperation move he tossed an errant pass right into the arms of Quincy defensive end Kendal Kendrick, who corralled the ball for the game's clinching score.

"That one was critical," Metea Valley coach Ted Monken said of the crucial sequence. "They pinned us deep and the ends were crashing hard. We thought we could get outside, and that big, tall defensive end did a nice job and got his hands on it. That one was a little bit of a backbreaker."

Metea Valley answered on its very next possession, driving 69 yards for a 15-yard touchdown run by Tre'Sean Mackey with 2 minutes, 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter. The touchdown proved to be fool's gold as the Mustangs would only see the ball for three more snaps for the rest of the game.

Quincy dictated the pace from that point on, controlling the ball for 13 minutes, 48 seconds from that point on with a smashmouth mentality. That wasn't the style Metea Valley wanted.

"We're more of a speed team, especially being young," Monken said. "We're not going to line up and run people over this year, for sure."

Quincy, on the other hand, racked up 251 rushing yards, attempting only 3 passes.

"We we're just burning clock," Kendrick said. "We're a power football team, we've never been a great passing team and that's nothing against our quarterback. That's just the way we play."

Even with the conflicting styles, Metea Valley managed to put together 100 yards rushing, led by Mackey with 78, while averaging 5 yards a carry.

"We really want to take what teams give us and we want to be smart about the ball. That's just kind of how the cards were dealt today," Monken said of his team's ability to run against a defense geared toward the passing game.

One thing Monken wants to take away from the game is his team's ability to shift their attack and adapt.

"The only way we're really failing is if we stop improving," Monken said. "If we don't get any better between now and the end of the year we've really failed. If we don't get better day to day, we won't win games this year or next year."