Kaneland football off to running start at BC

28 straight points lead to opening night win at Rockets’ home

by Mike Slodki

            For as good as Burlington Central has been in recent years, Kaneland football seems to have its number.

            That number on Friday was 31-7.

            After falling behind 7-3 in the second quarter, Kaneland used Joe Camiliere’s first varsity touchdown pass in the waning minutes of the first half for a 10-7 lead. Kaneland would score three more touchdowns en route to the season-opening win.

            Kaneland is 1-0, Burlington Central is 0-1.

            The Knights had 16 first downs compated to nine for the host Rockets. Burlington Central outrushed Kaneland’s 126-98, but the Knights won the total yards category by a 311-161 margin.

            Camiliere, a sophomore, went 16-for-24 for 213 yards, with two touchdown throws and an interception. Camiliere also was co-leading rusher for the game with 39 yards on eight carries.

            Coach Tom Fedderly, beginning his second season, thinks the signal caller and others have a high ceiling.

            “He’s a talented kid and with kids like these, we want to see them improve every week,” Fedderly said.

            Blake Serpa had six catches for 94 yards, while Blake Kendrick had four snags for 42 yards.

            Kaneland finally hit paydirt on its third drive of the game, a nine-play, 26-yard drive that resulted in a 26-yard field goal with 1:48 remaining in the first quarter.

            In the second quarter, a seven-play, 52-yard drive ended in a Rocket Nick Smith 10-yard touchdown run with 6:43 remaining in the first half. The score put BC up 7-3.

            Not shying away from a big situation, Camaliere set up shop at his own 32-yard line and peeled off a nine-yard draw, followed by completions to Blake Serpa and Taylor Andrews. A pass to Ryley Bailey gave Kaneland a 2nd-and-4 from the Rockets’ 20, Andrews then caught a pass after a pump fake for a 20-yard touchdown.

            The third quarter for BC began with a drive-halting fumble recovery by Kaneland’s Steve Tosaw and continued with a back-breaking score by the Knights, when an eight-play 62-yard drive was completed on a sideline pass to Serpa for a 29-yard touchdown. The score put Kaneland up 16-7 with 6:05 left in the third quarter.

            For Camaliere, that play marked an important juncture in the contest.

            “That was definitely a big play, it pumped us up and got the defense riled,” Camaliere said. “We just started rolling and moving the ball and the offensive line did great.

            Serpa scored with a one-yard plunge on the first play of the fourth quarter and a two-point conversion by Hayden Johnson upped the lead to 24-7.

            Bailey ended the ensuing Rockets drive with his second pick of the night, and later on, Tyler Suerth scored on a five-yard run with 9:01 remaining to close the scoring out.

            In sophomore action, the Knights took it to Burlington Central, 29-18.

            Friday, Sept. 5 sees Kaneland host Marmion Academy, which it lost to a year ago in Aurora in a 42-38 slugfest.

Play of the Knight

            The offense wasn’t the only unit making plays on Friday night for Kaneland football.

            Returning varsity player Ryley Bailey, who saw valuable downs a year ago on both sides of the ball, came up with two huge plays on the defensive side of things.

            In the first quarter, Bailey snagged a pass from Rockets QB Tim Maroder. The ensuing KHS drive resulted in a Chris Ott field goal.

            Bailey’s fourth-quarter pick was run back for 60 yards and led to the final Knight touchdown.

9/05/2008