09-25-2021
BY JACK BULLOCK
ALBION - With the constant changing of schedules this football season due to covid19 and other issues, an unlikely match up occurred on Saturday afternoon.

Nokomis, an independent football program from up north, traveled 2.5 hours south to play Edwards County.

The Lions were needing a game after Black Diamond Conference team Vienna/Goreville couldn't field a varsity team this fall.

Instead of taking a forfeit win, Edwards County head coach Russ Gerlach and his team found an opponent for Week #5.

The Redskins were in the same sort of predicament with a scheduling issue.

Nokomis was supposed to play Madison in Week #5 but the Trojans had apparently 'double booked' the week and ended up playing Tremont on Saturday.

So a few emails and phone calls later Nokomis and Edwards County hooked up Saturday at 5 pm.

Although from the first play from scrimmage it was a mismatch, everyone involved were glad to get a game played for the kids.

“We were happy we got to play. They (Nokomis) called us earlier in the year before we lost our first two games to Covid19. We were going to play just a JV game against Vienna/Goreville but we decided to take this game,” said Coach Gerlach. “We knew they were pretty good and on film they looked good but their speed surprised us early in the game. We had a couple of big plays passing but we couldn't get anything sustained. We're so young on the offensive line we could stop their blitz's.”

The Redskins rushed for 492 yards in the game, 521 yards total offense, as the visitors made quick work of the win-less Lions 59-3.

Coach Paul Watson, with the schools getting to play this week, got to see his son 5-foot-6, 160 senior running back Jacob Watson play an additional game.

The senior didn't disappoint as he rushed eight times for 160 yards and three touchdowns while senior classmate 5-foot-8, 165 running back Matt Hill ran five times for 180 yards.

Hill also found the end zone three times in the Redskins' romp.

Eight different running backs got their hands on the ball in the win with 6-foot-1, 210 senior Jake Johnson adding 56 yards on four carries.

“We pride ourselves on running the ball and I'm glad he (Jacob) got us off to a good start. I'm not sure it was the bus ride but at the beginning we didn't have much intensity but that run got us going,” said Coach Watson.

Five-foot-nine senior quarterback Conner Overby runs the offense and he didn't have much to do on Saturday other than hand the ball off to his running backs and then watch them disappear.

When he did throw the ball he was successful, connecting on 3-of-4 passes for 50 yards while rushing just three times for eight yards.

Some other reserves got in on the fun with 5-foot-7, 135 sophomore Skyler Pavolka getting four carries for 31 yards while classmate 5-foot-9, 170 Brenton Lyons added four carries for 40 yards in the offensive assault.

For Edwards County it was a long day on the playing field but for kids who spent the first two weeks of the season in Covid19 protocol while forfeiting games, it was a blessing to just get to compete.

After a 30-0 loss to Hamilton County followed by a 61-7 loss the previous week to Sesser-Valier/Waltonville, the Lions ran into another buzz-saw on Saturday.

Six-foot, 190 sophomore quarterback Max Gerlach and his teammates got another learning experience on Saturday as they build towards the future.

The Lions managed just 64 total yards of offense for the day.

Nokomis scored on its first play from scrimmage as Watson ran 67 yards for a touchdown after taking the opening kickoff.

He went through an opening on the right side and rolled to the end zone.

The PAT was good for a 7-0 lead with just over a minute gone in the first quarter.

After forcing a three-and-out and a punt by Edwards County, the Redskins fumbled on their first play from scrimmage and the Lions recovered in at their own 46 yard line.

A Gerlach pass to 6-foot-3 senior Dylan Rhodes resulted in a 31 yard reception to the Nokomis 27.

But two plays later, Nokomis recovered a Lions' fumble to take over at their own 27.

It took the Redskins just two plays to score their second TD.

Watson ran for 36 yards into Edwards County territory and then Hill did the rest on a nifty move after running to the left he cut back to his right and sprinted home for a 37 yard score.

The PAT failed (after a penalty) and Nokomis led 13-0.

After a three-and-out by Edwards County, Nokomis took just three plays to score with Hill doing the damage with a 43 yard run all the way to the Lions' two-yard line.

Two plays later, Watson ran up the middle for a TD.

The two-point try failed with the score now at 19-0 with 1:51 left in the first quarter.

First Quarter
N - 67 yard TD Run by Jacob Watson (PAT Good) - 7-0 N
N - 37 yard TD Run by Matt Hill (PAT No Good ) - 13-0 N
N - Two yard TD Run by Jacob Watson (PAT No Good) - 19-0 N
Second Quarter
N - 28 yard Run Jacob Watson (PAT two-point conversion Good) - 27-0 N
N - Three-yard Run by Conner Overby (PAT Good) - 34-0 N
N - 33 yard run by Matt Hill (PAT Good) - 41-0 N
Third Quarter
N - 60 yard Run by Matt Hill (PAt No Good) - 47-0 N
EC - 25 Yard FG by Preston Wright - 47-3 N
Fourth Quarter
N - 18 yar Run by Brenton Lyons (PAT No Good) - 53-3 N
N - 18 yard Run by Skylar Pavolka (PAT No Good - 59-3 N