Kaneland 35, DeKalb 7

Ryley Bailey was in search of a second chance.

The Kaneland sophomore muffed a punt for the Knights' lone turnover against DeKalb Friday night at NIU stadium.

But fortunately for the Kaneland wide receiver Jody Henningson would give Bailey twin chances for a reprieve.

Bailey and Henningson collaborated for the first of two scores in the seconds before the half, but the 21-yard strike paled in comparison to their second scoring connection.

Bailey faked out the DeKalb secondary with a 77-yard, fourth quarter hitch-and-go that put the finishing touches on the night's 35-7 Western Sun Conference win for the Knights.

The win keeps Kaneland's hopes alive of a 13th straight playoff berth if the Knights can win their final two games.

"Jody breaks down the opposing defense," Bailey said. "Getting open is the easy part. The defense played great, gave the offense great field position and we capitalized on that."

Henningson was masterful in all phases of the game. He completed 23 of 45 passes for 306 yards, 3 touchdowns, no interceptions and added an 8-yard keeper of his own.

After Henningson gave Kaneland (3-4, 2-3) a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter with a fourth down, 13 yard completion to Jamie Snyder and the 8-yard quarterback draw, he used his right foot to keep the Barbs at bay in the second quarter.

Henningson backed up DeKalb to its own 1-yard line and Kaneland capitalized seconds before the break, as he found Bailey in the right corner end zone for a 21-0 Kaneland lead at the half.

"I thought field position was key the whole game," Kaneland coach Tom Fedderly said. "We lost some guys early (to injuries) and every little thing helped."

Mandell Williams raced 51 yards on the Barbs' second play after halftime to give DeKalb its lone score of the night.

The Barbs (3-4, 2-3), who lost a first-half fumble on the Knights' 1-yard line and had another score nullified by a touchdown stiffened defensively.

DeKalb stymied back-to-back Kaneland drives with fourth down stops, but Kaneland was equally resolute on defense.

Bailey raced 77 yards down the right sideline with 9:10 remaining to give Kaneland breathing room. Sophomore defensive back Blake Kendrick rumbled out 99 yards with his second interception of the night to close out the scoring.

"We didn't play well enough to win," DeKalb coach Kurt Johansen said. "We played terrible tonight."