Kaneland’s Little closes book on win over Metea Valley with 82-yard pick six

Kaneland’s Jackson Little is known for being a bruiser not a burner.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior is a big hitter at linebacker for the Knights and also operates as the hammer in short-yardage situations on offense.

In Friday’s regular-season finale, though, he got to show off something else — his wheels.

“When I picked it off, I was like, ‘I’m going to score,’” Little said. “I was tired, but I just had to get into the end zone. The dog mentality comes out in the fourth quarter.

“I knew I had to put the game away, be a leader and do my job to help my team win.”

Little’s 82-yard interception return for touchdown in the fourth quarter, indeed, put the game away for Kaneland in a 34-7 nonconference victory over host Metea Valley in Aurora.

The Mustangs (3-6) were driving and down two TDs when Little flipped the momentum around. He also had TD runs of 4 and 8 yards as the Knights (8-1) won their fifth straight.

Brody Guthrie completed 10 of 11 passes for 132 yards, including a 44-yard TD pass to Colton Ludwig. Ludwig, who gained 174 yards on 27 carries, added a 9-yard TD run.

For Metea, Iggy Amorrortu threw for 146 yards, including a 54-yard TD pass to Samy El-Sayad. Amorrortu added 76 yards on 14 carries before leaving with an injury in the fourth.

It wasn’t surprising to Kaneland coach Mike Thorgesen, who has several three-year varsity starters, that Little was the one icing the win.

“We’ve always said it,” Thorgesen confirmed about Little. “He’s just got instincts. He’s a football player through and through. He doesn’t have elite speed or size. There isn’t one thing.

“He’s just a good football player.”

The Knights rarely play man coverage defensively, but they were in man for Little’s crucial interception with 3:43 left in the fourth.

Little’s second interception of the season gave the Knights a 27-7 lead.

“We knew the running back was going to leak out to the flat, so coach wanted me to keep an eye on him,” Little said. “And I just read it.”

Offensively, Ludwig has carried the load this season for Kaneland. But Little’s unique skill set, in particular running the Wildcat in short-yardage situations, is hard to overlook.

He opened the scoring with a 4-yard TD run at 7:42 left in the second quarter. He then came through with an 8-yard TD on the first play of the fourth.

“It felt amazing being back in the end zone,” Little said. “It had been a couple weeks. I felt good trusting my O-line. It’s been a great group all season. They have my back and they’re there for me.”

Thorgesen has been happy with how his duo has handled the workload.

“It’s hard to pull Ludwig off the field with the way he’s running, but I still think it’s a good one-two punch letting both kids touch the ball,” Thorgesen said.

Ludwig still got his Friday. He enters the playoffs with over 1,000 yards rushing this season.

That production has made him start thinking about the next level, which would have been a pipe dream last season while backing up Carter Grabowski.

“It was hard to show my skill level,” Ludwig said. “Now that I’m here, I’m thinking about getting my name out there to play some college football.”

He’ll have time to add to his totals in the playoffs, too. Belief in the program never wavered for the Knights despite key graduation losses. They went out and proved it in the regular season.

Now comes the fun part.

“We’ve always been a great program,” Little said. “People underestimate us, but I trust my guys that we can go far in the playoffs. At 8-1, we kind of expected it. We knew we were a great team.

“We’re excited, but the job isn’t finished.”