Casey-Westfield Dominates, Remains Undefeated with 38-14 Win Over Robinson

By Terri Cox

The Casey-Westfield Warriors showcased their dominance in the second quarter, overcoming an early deficit to secure a commanding 38-14 Little Illini Conference victory over the Robinson Maroons on Friday night. A flurry of scores in the second quarter propelled the Purple and Gold ahead, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish, extending their undefeated season to 4-0.”

The Warriors won the toss and elected to defer as Wyatt Erickson teed up the ball for the opening kickoff. He sent the ball deep to the Robinson returner, who brought it out to the Maroon 29-yard line to start their opening drive.

Robinson started strong out of the gate as they put together a 10-play drive capped with a 5-yard touchdown play. The point after was successful, giving the Maroons an early 7-0 lead.

The Warriors got their first possession of the night after a solid return by Jack Julius and started working their way down the field.

Gio Santillan took the handoff from Nolan Clement after his first pass attempt fell incomplete, and Santillan rumbled for 12 yards to move the chains. Two plays later, Santillan’s number was called again, and a 16-yard scamper resulted in a first down.

The CW offense then stalled in the Red Zone, but Erickson booted the successful field goal from 28 yards out to narrow the score to 7-3.

Robinson went quietly in the next series as they struggled on the snap for the punt attempt and just covered it up deep in their own territory to turn the ball over on downs.

Two plays later, Clement crossed the goal line from six yards out on the quarterback keeper to put the Warriors on top. Erickson was good on the point after attempt for a 10-7 CW advantage.

Robinson looked to the air on their next series, and the CW secondary was ready as Daryn Hupp read the route perfectly for the interception and got to add another 15 yards on the return after a personal foul was called against the Maroons.

On the first play of the drive, the Warriors aired it out themselves as Clement found Will Moore down the middle of the field on a 35-yard scoring strike. Erickson was again successful on the PAT for a 17-7 advantage.

The Warrior defense forced Robinson to turn the ball over on downs on their next possession, and the CW offense went right back to work. Santillan rattled off a six-yard run, then Clement and Moore connected again, this time on a 26-yard completion to move the chains and first and goal.

Luke Karras got the ball and busted his way through the defenders for a 10-yard score. Erickson’s PAT was good for a 24-7 advantage.

Robinson put together their second complete drive after a touchback on the kickoff. They put together 15 plays to cover the required 80 yards, culminating in a 15-yard scoring pass. The extra point was good to narrow the score to 24-14.

CW had a little time left in the half and got deep into Robinson territory as they opted for a field goal attempt in the final seconds that sailed wide left.

Despite Robinson finding the endzone late in the half, Casey-Westfield carried a comfortable 24-14 lead into the intermission, having effectively flipped the script after the Maroons’ early score.”

When the third quarter got underway, the Warriors received the kickoff and got great starting field position after Santillan took the ball back 77 yards to give the CW offense a great start.

Karras got the nod on three plays and bullied his way through the defense for a five-yard scoring run. After Erickson’s point after, the Warriors extended their lead to 31-14.

The Warrior defense bent a little, but didn’t break as they allowed Robinson across mid-field, but a huge stop by Weston Hupp on fourth down forced the Maroons to turn the ball over.

Despite a good starting field position, the Warrior offense was unable to move the chains, and Clement punted the ball away, with Jett Self and Kian Davis combining for the stop at the Robinson 10-yard line.

Karras came up with two big hits in the series that forced a Robinson punt.

CW’s offense again struggled to get going and was forced to punt after Clement was sacked on third down.

Solo tackles by Owen Tate and Moore, and a sack by Fred Thomas, set the stage for another Robinson punt that Jack Julius returned 25 yards.

The Maroons picked off a Clement pass to end the drive, but three plays later, Riley Phillips returned the favor as he jumped the passing route and returned it to the Robinson 6-yard line.

After a holding call backed the Warriors up on their first play of the drive, Santillan picked up 10 yards, then Clement walked across the goal line from six yards out for the final score of the game. Erickson was perfect on point after attempts, hitting his fifth of the night for a 38-14 score.

The Maroons got one final drive in the contest, but it ended just like the one before with an interception as Julius made the pick and ran out the remaining time to seal the win.

With this dominant performance, the Warriors improve to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in Little Illini Conference play. They will look to continue their unbeaten run next Saturday, traveling to Lawrenceville for a 2 p.m. kickoff at Ed Loeb Field.”

Game Summary: Casey-Westfield vs. Robinson

Score by Quarters

Scoring Drives

1st Quarter

• ROBINSON: 25 yard pass (kick good)

• CW: Wyatt Erickson 28 yard field goal

2nd Quarter

• CW: Nolan Clement 6 yard run (Erickson kick)

• CW: Will Moore 35 yard pass from Clement (Erickson kick)

• CW: Luke Karras 10 yard run (Erickson kick)

• ROBINSON: 15 yard pass (kick good)

3rd Quarter

• CW: Karras 5 yard run (Erickson kick)

4th Quarter

• CW: Clement 2 yard run (Erickson kick)

Individual Statistics

RUSHING:

• Nolan Clement: 10 carries, 75 yards, 2 TDs

• Gio Santillan: 12 carries, 56 yards

• Luke Karras: 9 carries, 39 yards, 2 TDs

• Jett Self: 1 carry, 3 yards

• Kellen Sullivan: 3 carries, 2 yards

PASSING:

• Nolan Clement: 3-for-7, 69 yards, 1 TD, 1 Interception

RECEIVING:

• Will Moore: 2 receptions, 61 yards, 1 TD

• Landon Rohr: 1 reception, 8 yards

KICK RETURNS:

• Gio Santillan: 1 return, 77 yards

• Jack Julius: 2 returns, 47 yards

Defensive Statistics

TACKLES:

• Luke Karras: 19

• Weston Hupp: 10

• Jett Self: 7

• Daryn Hupp: 5

• Kian Davis: 5

• Fred Thomas: 5 (1 sack)

• Will Moore: 3

• Owen Tate: 3

• Kai Davis: 2

• Wyatt Erickson: 2

• Korbyn Bennett: 2

• Nolan Clement: 2

• Hudson Rhoads: 2

• Kellen Sullivan: 1

• Landon Rohr: 1

• Brycen Ridge: 1

• Jack Julius: 1

INTERCEPTIONS:

• Daryn Hupp: 1

• Jack Julius: 1

• Riley Phillips: 1