Kaneland gets its revenge

Back in Black is back on top.

Kaneland's convincing 30-13 victory over Sycamore in a showdown of 7-0 teams Friday night gives the Knights no worse than a share of the first Northern Illinois Big 12 East title, their first conference championship since 2006. The win also avenges a season-ending playoff loss to the Spartans last fall.

An overflow crowd on both sides gave the game a playoff-like electricity. They saw Kaneland (8-0, 4-0) fall behind early 7-0 and then take command with a combination of a big-play defense and ball-control offense.

Linebackers Nick Michels and Taylor Andrews teamed up for the biggest play of the game in the second quarter. With Sycamore driving looking to tie the game, Michels hammered Spartans quarterback Ryan Bartels and knocked the ball free.

After a confusing few seconds when nobody on either team picked up the ball, Andrews finally saw the Knights coaches pointing that the ball was a fumble. Andrews took off and ran 85 yards untouched for a touchdown.

Instead of a potential 14-14 tie, Kaneland had a 20-7 lead and never looked back.

"I thought it was an incomplete pass," Andrews said. "I picked the ball up, I was about to give it to the ref. I zone everything out when I'm playing. I can barely hear with the crowd and everybody yelling. I looked over and I saw everybody pointing so I just took off running."

It turns out that huge crowd helped the Knights. Sycamore coaches also were yelling at their players but none of them heard.

"We are trying to scream, it is so loud you can't react to it," said Spartans coach Joe Ryan, adding he thought it was a good call by the officials and a fumble.

"We were screaming and the team was just standing. If you are 0-7 no one is here and we get on that ball. But it's two 7-0 teams."

The fumble was the biggest of three turnovers the Knights forced. Jacob Razo and Quinn Buschbacher intercepted passes.

Kaneland only had one turnover, a fumble that set up a short field for the Spartans early in the game. Eric Ray, who ran for 53 yards and added 109 yards receiving, capped a 30-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run.

The Knights tied the game 7-7 on quarterback Joe Camiliere's 1-yard keeper, then moved ahead to stay on the first play of the second quarter when Camiliere connected with Tyler Callaghan on a 12-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-7.

The Spartans (7-1, 3-1), who had success moving the ball at times with 182 rushing yards and 16 first downs, just about tied the game when Bartels broke free only to be tripped up on a shoestring tackle by Kaneland's last line of defense, Buschbacher at the 7-yard line. Buschbacher's tackle became even more important when two plays later Andrews scored on his long fumble return for a 13-point swing.

"I tried everything I could," Buschbacher said. "It was close but what happened happened and I'm happy about it.

"This entire team, we all do our job. I just tried to do my job and get the guy and good things happen when you do your job."

That continued with Michels coming free to deliver the hit that forced Bartels' fumble.

"I just saw an opening and took it," Michels said. "We were underdogs so it was a big win."

Kicker Matt Rodriguez, one of three Knights freshmen who played a key role, booted a 27-yard field goal on the last play of the second quarter for a 23-13 halftime lead.

Blake Serpa's 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter turned out to be the only second-half points for either team. The Knights had the ball for 10- and 14-play drives on their first two second-half possessions to eat the clock and never give the Spartans much of a chance to get back in the game.

Camiliere finished 13 of 19 passing for 140 yards, 1 touchdown and no interceptions. Andrews led the balanced rushing attack with 70 yards while freshman wide receiver Danny Helm had a 22-yard reception and delivered a crushing downfield block.

"Awesome game," Kaneland coach Tom Fedderly said. "I'm so happy for our seniors. It was a really big game to them with what happened last year in the playoffs. I know our kids have been thinking about it all year long. It really was a big deal we had to overcome."

Kaneland will try to complete a 9-0 regular season when it hosts Morris next Friday.