Mendota journeying to Morris

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It will be a clash for braggin' rights in the NCIC ... and to see what gets another chance to play next week.

That's what is on the line Saturday, when the Morris Redskins will host the Mendota Trojans at 1 p.m. in the second round of the IHSA Class 4A playoffs.

"I know they [the Trojans] have a good running back and their quarterback is tough," said Morris coach George Dergo Thursday morning. "They are a team that is a mirror of us."

Except when the Trojans look in the reflective glass, they see a season that is 8-2 thus far. The Redskins will enter Saturday's contest sporting a 6-4 ledger after beating Chicago Raby 19-6 at Hanson Stadium last week.

Leading the Trojans on offense is senior halfback Kurtis Knapp and senior quarterback Jordan Fritz. The latter has completed 28-of-55 passing attempts for 511 yards. Fritz has tossed four touchdowns while having a trio of aerials picked off.

Knapp has five catches for 114 yards and two scores besides running the ball 151 times for 1,093 yards and 26 TDs. Senior fullback Alex Caruso adds 407 yards in 74 chances with five touchdowns. Junior fullback Robert Waston chips in with 51 attempts for 376 yards and a pair of scores.

Mendota has outscored its opposition 336-146 on the season, putting at least 37 points on the board in six outings. The only losses dealt to the Trojans were a 21-14 setback at NCIC Lincoln champion Chillicothe IVC plus a non-conference loss of 16-9 to a Peoria Richwoods team that is 9-1 on the season.

"They have good speed and they have some big guys on the line," pointed out Dergo. "They run out of a double wing with option. They don't pass a lot but the quarterback can do the job. But they are primarily a running team. They run the ball and they run it well."

Mendota bowed out 8-3 last season, losing 14-7 to Addison Driscoll in the second week of the 4A playoffs.

"We played Driscoll last year, one of the most storied teams in state history, and now you have to put Morris right up there as one of the best public school playoff teams of all time," said Trojans coach John McKenzie, earlier in the week. "It is definitely going to be a challenge for us."

"We need to keep their offense off the field," said Dergo. "We want our offense to be on the field a lot, like what happened last week. Mendota has good special teams. They will fake punts and spread you out. They do a lot of different things. And they play a 3-5 defense and that's a defense that always seems to give us fits. We just need to get the ball in the hands of our playmakers."

Rex Layne leads the Redskins in rushing with 534 yards in 93 carries with three touchdowns. Jared Kopczick chips in with 55 attempts for 213 yards and a solitary score. Senior quarterback Martin Maldonado has connected on 57-of-116 passes for 818 yards and eight TDs.

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