Vandalia qualifies for playoffs
Vandals shutdown Piasa Southwestern, 42-6; improve to 6-1

10-08-2021
BY JACK BULLOCK
VANDALIA - Two South Central Conference teams went into Friday night's football game heading in opposite directions for the 2021-22 season.

After 48-minutes of action neither team changed their courses.

Following a season opening loss at undefeated and state-ranked Pana, the Vandalia Vandals have now racked up six-consecutive victories.

While on the other side of the field the Piasa Birds, following four-straight wins to open the campaign, have dropped three contests in succession.

Vandalia scored early and never let up in a 42-6 win that featured a continuous clock in the second half.

The Vandals became playoff eligible as they improved to 6-1 overall after their homecoming win.

Coach Jason Clay, who is 44-13 in now his sixth season (counting last spring), has his team playoff bound.

Other than the 4-2 spring, where there were no playoffs, Vandalia will make its fifth consecutive postseason appearance.

If the Birds are going to make the postseason, there is work to do for Coach Pat Keith and his club.

Piasa Southwestern now sits at 4-3 and will need two wins in their final two weeks to guarantee a spot in the IHSA Playoffs.

The Vandals rolled up 429-yards of total offense on the night and led 42-0 at the point in the game that triggered the running clock second half mercy rule.

Of that 429, junior quarterback Matthew Hagy accounted for 329 of those yards.

Hagy ran for 175-yards and three touchdowns on 12-carries while adding 154-yards in the air.

The 5-foot-9, 165 field general was 9-of-18 which included a 15-yard touchdown pass to junior Reid Well.

Five-foot-nine, 170 junior running back Eric McKinney also did ground damage accounting for 87-yards on 10 carries.

McKinney scored two of the Vandals' touchdowns in the win.

One other runner, 5-foot-11, 160 junior Preston Nestrick got in on some of the action with a couple of rushes for 14-yards.

Nestrick also caught a pair of passes from Nagy for 41-yards.

Two other receivers caught passes that accumulated over 40-yards each.

Six-foot-one, 190 senior Carson Ruot caught three throws from Nagy for 42-yards while 6-foot-2, 180 senior Conner Ray snagged a pair also for 42.

McKinney was also on the receiving end of a pass with the result being a 14-yard gain.

Quentin Strohbeck, a 6-foot 160 junior, was 10-of-17 for the night running the offense for the Birds for 114-yards and a touchdown throw late in the contest.

Unfortunately for a team like Piasa Southwestern that likes to run the ball, the Vandals' defense stepped up and forced the Birds into the air on this night.

Coach Keith's club ran the ball 25-times for just 56-yards, way below what would have been necessary for a road win.

Strohbeck was the leader in that category with five runs for just 21-yards.

Coming into the game Piasa was averaging 142-yards on the ground per game and were held far below that figure.

Gavin Day, a 5-foot-10 180 senior, and 5-foot-10 190 senior Blake Funk each carried the ball eight times.

Day ended up with just 15-yards while Funk had 14.

Five-foot-nine junior wide receiver Collin Robinson was a bright spot as he had three-receptions for 98-yards.

Piasa Southwestern got the ball first but did nothing on its first possession and punted to Vandalia.

It took 12-plays to get to the end zone for the first time as Nagy did most of the damage.

He hit Nestrick on a pass for which got the Vandals down to the Piasa nine-yard line.

McKinney up the middle for five yards and Nagy one a run to the right for a TD finished the drive putting Vandalia up 7-0 after the made PAT with 4:55 left in the first quarter.

After a Southwestern fumble on the ensuing kickoff at the Piasa 38-yard line, Coach Clay's crew found the end zone again in just under two minutes.

Two more runs by McKinney got the ball to the 25 before Nagy took care of the rest.

Hagy ran to the right and made it to pay dirt for a 14-0 lead.

“I thought our fast start was huge. They (Southwestern) won the toss and took the ball and our defense made a big stand right there. We had a good drive and we got up 14-0 and our defense kept getting us the ball back,” said Coach Clay. “We do have some weapons and teams try to double cover Carson (Ruot) because of his huge numbers he has but that left other people open and we guys step up and make catches tonight.”
The best drive of the first half by the Birds occurred next.

On second-and-12 at its own 33, Strohbeck connected with Robinson down the right sideline.

The pass and run was good for 41-yards into Vandalia territory at the Vandals' 25.

However this scoring chance went away as a false start penalty pushed the Birds back five-yards and three plays only got Piasa Southwestern back to the original line of scrimmage.

Going for it on fourth and 10, the Birds were stopped as a pass from Strohbeck to Day wasn't enough as the Vandals took over.

Aided by a pass interference penalty and a pair of runs by Nagy and McKinney, Vandalia moved into the Piasa side of the field.

On third down from the 45 McKinney ran up the middle, broke free from the Southwestern defense and ran all the way for a touchdown.

Another PAT pushed the spread to 21-0 with 10:14 left before halftime.

The Birds added to their woes on their next drive.

A return to its own 43-yard line set them up in good position.

But once again there were issues.

After picking up a first down and reaching the Vandalia 41, the drive stalled with two more false start penalties and then an interception by defensive back Andrew Kelly.

Four-plays into the Vandals' next chance turned into more points.

Nagy this time went 50-yards for a touchdown for a 28-0 advantage.

Piasa punted again on its next possession and then Vandalia made one of its few mistakes of the night.

A fumble by Coach Clay's squad gave the Birds a final chance to get on the scoreboard before halftime.

Southwestern got to the Vandalia 12 but they missed a 31-yard field goal as the teams went to intermission at 28-0 Vandals.

“Our quarterback (Nagy) had a heck of a game and our defense kept getting it back for us,” said Coach Clay. “We knew coming in that they were a running team and we wanted to get them into 'third-and-long' and we did a good job of tackling their big backs. Day and Funk are tough and they hammered on us a bit last year. That stung a little bit. We didn't play well at their place last year (a 21-7 loss on April 2nd) and they got us so that was kind of on our minds this week.”

Getting the second half kickoff, Vandalia ended whatever drama still remained.

Seven plays and 76-yards took just over two minutes.

Nagy, with his club on its own 43, broke to the left side of his line then the quarterback shifted back across the field and down the right sideline.

He was finally brought down at the Piasa 1-yard line.

After an incomplete pass, Nagy handed it off to McKinney who powered into the end zone for a 35-0 advantage with 9:42 remaining in the third quarter.

Getting the ball back after the kickoff went out of bounds, the Birds couldn't move the ball from their own 35.

Three-plays netted just seven-yards and they were stopped on fourth-and-three at their own 40.

Vandalia pushed the game into 'mercy mode' with a five-play drive.

After two passes failed, Nagy found Ray for a 20-yard gain.

A five-yard run by McKinney and a swing pass to Well closed the drive.

Well avoided a Southwestern defender and sprinted home from 15-yards out.

The sixth consecutive made PAT by 5-foot-10, 160 sophomore Kanon Wollerman ended the Vandals' scoring for the night at 42-0 with 6:32 remaining in the third quarter.

“It (intensity) is something we talked about. It's been a different kind of season with all of the things going on with quarantines and stuff. It's been a weird year and sometimes we don't 'keep our foot on the gas' and it is something that we have been talking to the kids about. It's nice to see that (tonight) and we have some tough games coming up and you can't have a lack of intensity.”

After Piasa and Vandalia exchanged punts, Southwestern finally got on the scoreboard.

Taking over at their own 43, Piasa took 12-plays but they got into the end zone.

A 21-yard pass from Strohbeck to Robinson in the left side of the end zone with 1:13 remaining kept the Birds for their second shutout loss in three games.

A bad snap on the extra point attempt foiled the Southwestern PAT.

The Vandals will take on 0-7 Litchfield on the road next Friday night and then end the regular campaign with a home game against SCC rival Greenville (4-3) on October 22nd.

Piasa Southwestern will try to keep their playoff hopes alive in their final two games needing at least one win to perhaps qualify at 5-4.

The Birds have 2-5 Hillsboro at home next Friday and then on the road at 1-6 Gillespie also on October 22nd.
“That (playoffs) was the number one target this week and the homecoming win and all the stuff that goes along with it. Now we want to get to 7-1 and then 8-1 to improve our position the best that we can,” said Coach Clay.
South Central Conference
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2
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4
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F
Piasa Southwestern
0
0
0
6
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6
Vandalia
14
14
14
0
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42

First Quarter
V - 3-Yard Run, Matthew Hagy - (Kanon Wollerman Kick) - V 7-0
V - 25-Yard Run, Matthew Hagy - (Kanon Wollerman Kick) - V 14-0
Second Quarter
V - 45-Yard Run - Eric McKinney - (Kanon Wollerman Kick) - V 21-0
V - 50-Yard Run - Matthew Hagy - (Kanon Wollerman Kick - V 28-0
Third Quarter
V - 1-Yard Run - Eric McKinney - (Kanon Wollerman Kick) - V 35-0
V - 15-Yard Pass -  Matthew Hagy to Reid Well - (Kanon Wollerman Kick) - V42-0
Fourth Quarter
P - 21-Yard Pass - Quinten Strohbeck to Collin Robinson - (PAT Failed) - V 42-6