A happy homecoming in DeKalb for St. Edward

DeKALB - After its 41-0 win over Walther Christian at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb Friday, it's obvious that no school in the state of Illinois knows how to throw a homecoming party quite like St. Edward, which made the most of its Division I campus rental.

But despite all the lights and facilities of Northern Illinois University, an underlying theme among some of the players showed: there's still no place like home.

"It'll be a good memory but there's nothing like playing at home at (Greg True Field)," Green Wave safety David Madden said. "But NIU, a Divison I school, it's going to be a good memory."

And Madden and company can reflect on a lot, as the Green Wave (4-2, 2-0) jumped out to a 27-0 first quarter lead, let alone a 41-point advantage at the half with about just every phase of the game mastered.

Running back Dwayne Allen secured 188 yards on the ground on 12 carries, 2 of which went for touchdowns.

Quarterback Dylan Mlinarich completed 10 of 15 passes for 213 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Seveon Smith hauled in an 83-yard touchdown pass while Tyler Holte secured a 20-yard grab.

Madden, however, caught 3 passes, 2 for picks, including a 23-yard touchdown pass. Along with defensive linemen Will Stevens' 2 fumble recoveries, hopefully the Wave can find a way to play at NIU one more time in 2015.

"We came out and we were like, 'whoa.' We are not used to this," Madden said. "(NIU) was a big change and we all loved it. We felt very confident."

"I'm proud of the way the boys came out and played hard," Wave coach Mike Rolando said. "It is a distraction - obviously you want to be home for your fans at homecoming - but the support was awesome. This is probably the biggest crowd we had at any field."

The crowd had everything to cheer about from the get-go, as Allen, who had a 54-yard touchdown called back on the game's first play from scrimmage, redeemed himself with a 24-yard run at the end of the 5-play, 54 yard drive for a quick 6-0 lead.

Two plays later, Stevens recovered a Bronco (1-5, 1-1) fumble on the Walther Christian 28, which setup Madden's 23-yard scoring catch. A subsequent 3-and-out by the Broncos led to Allen's 75-yard run to help the Wave grab a 20-0 lead with 6:45 left in the first.

"Each game we want to come in with a whole bunch of energy," Allen said. "We knew what we had to do to get a W."

Madden's first pick led to Smith's 83-yard TD run and his second led to Allen's third TD from the Bronco 48. Holte's catch with 6:37 left in the second quarter gave the Wave a running clock.

"The execution in the first half across the board … passing game, running game, o-line, defense, I think is a prelude of things to come," Rolando said."

The Wave outgained the Broncos 425-38 in the first half and finished with a 463-60 edge, along with 5 turnovers - a Nick Wright INT in the fourth. Walther Christian rushed for 20 yards, achieved only 6 first downs and crossed the 50 once with 6:10 left in the third as Malik Whittier was 8-for-24 for 40 yards and 3 interceptions.

"We want to get interceptions, fumbles, anything we can to help each other. Be afraid to let each other down is our motto," Stevens said.