Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008

Cahokia cruises into semifinals; Hunt makes three TD catches in convincing win

CAHOKIA -- Cahokia wide receiver Jimmie Hunt didn't let a couple of dropped passes get him down.

Hunt made amends for the early miscues with three touchdown receptions on Saturday in the Comanches' 31-6 win over the Decatur MacArthur Generals in a Class 5A playoff game.

"I figured I was over-anticipating the pass, so I had to slow down, get the ball and then make something happen," Hunt said.

Hunt and quarterback Patrick Ivy connected on touchdown passes of 44, 46 and 60 yards in sending to the Comanches to the semifinal round of the playoffs for only the second time in school history.

"I told him (after the drops) that it's all right, keep your head up," Ivy said. "And, he did."

Hunt said he and Ivy, who became the team's quarterback after Darrien "Doc" Donald sustained a knee injury during a 7-on-7 passing camp this summer, have developed a special connection through hard work in practice.

"We go over our plays and our audibles, and we know what each other is thinking," Hunt said. "If something isn't there, we automatically know what to do on the next one."

The Comanches' defense helped their offense get going by stopping the Generals on six fourth-down plays in Cahokia territory and forcing five turnovers (four interceptions and a fumble recovery).

"They kept us in the game," Ivy said of the defense. "When our offense was struggling, they kept us in the game. Our defense gave us a lot of momentum."

The Comanches (11-1) will play a road game against the Metamora Redbirds (12-0), the defending Class 5A state champions, next weekend.

Metamora quarterback Michael Fay had three rushing touchdowns in 38-7 win over Washington on Saturday.

The only other time the Comanches reached the semifinals was 2005 when they lost to Rock Island Alleman 24-20.

"It's extremely special because we lost our All-State quarterback in the summer and I had to turn my wide receiver into a quarterback, and boy, he has been something else," Cahokia coach Antwyne Golliday said. "This team has rallied around him. Everybody had written us off when the season started, and the next thing you know, we're 1-0, 2-0 and the ball started rolling."

Ivy completed 7 of 18 passes for 213 yards. He was intercepted three times, but the Generals couldn't capitialize on those mistakes.

Ivy also rushed for 107 yards on eight carries, while Deonta Beverly rushed for 75 yards on eight carries.

Cahokia freshman Quinntarius Hill fumbled on the opening kickoff, and MacArthur's Earl Owens recovered the loose ball at the Cahokia 25.

The Comanches were able to keep the Generals off the scoreboard by stopping them a yard short of the first down on a fourth-and-3 play from the Cahokia 18.

The Comanches put together an 84-yard drive that was capped by Beverly's 24-yard touchdown run to the right side.

The Generals answered with their only touchdown drive of the game, marching 80 yards on 11 plays. Jordan Manney completed the drive by running into the end zone from 1 yard out.

The Generals missed the extra-point kick.

The Comanches went ahead 13-6 as Hunt caught a pass about 20 yards down field and then broke a tackle for a 44-yard touchdown.

The Comanches then turned an interception by Cedric Gibson into a 24-yard field goal by Brad Schmidt with 59 seconds left in the first half.

The two teams exchanged interceptions in the final minute as Cahokia's Morris Hobson picked off a pass that was batted into the air by teammate Terron Armstead and MacArthur's Robert Smith picked off a pass near the goal line.

The Comanches overcame two blocking-in-the-back penalties to pad their lead to 24-6 on Hunt's 46-yard touchdown reception on their first possesion of the second half.

Hunt also had a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown brought back by another blocking-in-the-back infraction.

Hunt's 60-yard touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter put the Comanches firmly in control at 31-6.

Smith thew for 106 yards with four interceptions for the Generals, who ended with a 9-3 record.

"We thought we had some good drives early, and even in the second half, but we came down and had some crucial penalties and mistakes, and we have to give them credit for making plays on defense to stop our drives," MacArthur coach Derek Spates said.

Contact Steve Korte at skorte@bnd.com or 239-2522.