BRODHEAD - Junior running back Derek Turner got the birthday present he was hoping for Friday night.
Turner had a key 54-yard TD run in the fourth quarter to help Brodhead-Juda come back and beat Jefferson 28-20, clinching a spot in the playoffs. Turner rushed for 107 yards on 17 carries and scored one touchdown.
"It was a great birthday present," said Turner, who was celebrating his 17th birthday. "It's all about the team. It's not about one person."
The Cardinals seven-play, 93-yard drive was set up when Jefferson senior quarterback Dustin Moldenhauer fumbled a snap and Brodhead-Juda sophomore Reeve Lincoln recovered at the 7-yard line to thwart the Eagles' drive.
"I think after that fumble they really started to get down right there," Lincoln said. "Words can't explain how that felt. I think that was the turning point in the game."
Brodhead-Juda senior quarterback Matt Trotter completed 5 of 8 passes for 90 yards with one touchdown. With the Cardinals (4-3, 4-2 Rock Valley South) leading by eight points in the fourth quarter, Trotter threw an interception with about 8 minutes to go.
"We needed a first down there," Brodhead-Juda coach Jim Matthys said. "If he completes the pass, we all look good and the game is probably over."
After giving up touchdowns on three of the first five drives in the first half, the Cardinals shut down Jefferson in the second half. Brodhead-Juda senior defensive back Cole Bauman broke up a pass on fourth down to help seal the win.
"I think the kids just stepped up their game," Matthys said. "They definitely deserved this win."
Early on, the Rock Valley crossover game had the makings of a shootout. The Eagles capped a six-play, 76-yard drive with Moldenhauer tossing a 21-yard TD pass to Brendon Morgan with 5:43 left to take a 7-0 lead. The key play of the drive was a 43-yard run by senior Zeke Emerick. Emerick rushed for 118 yards on 13 carries and Garrett Blaeske had 110 yards rushing on 20 carries.
Trotter helped the Cardinals answer when he hooked up with Bauman on a 40-yard TD pass to tie the game at 7 with 3:06 left in the first quarter. It didn't take long for the Eagles to respond. Emerick, who rushed for 103 yards in the first quarter, bolted for a 50-yard TD run to give the Eagles a 14-7 lead.
Trotter then directed a 10-play, 70-yard drive that culminated in sophomore Griffin Day's 7-yard TD run to tie the game at 14 about midway through the second quarter. The Eagles answered with Moldenhauer throwing a 24-yard TD strike to Emerick to give the Eagles a 20-14 halftime lead.
"We just came out knowing what we had to do on defense," Lincoln said. "We were just fired up at halftime. We knew we had to win this game, and we are in the playoffs with this game."
The Cardinals controlled the game in the second half by pounding the ball on the ground. Trotter scored on a 22-yard run to cap a 10-play, 71-yard drive to give the Cardinals a 21-20 lead. That set the stage for Turner's big touchdown run to put the game away. Turner took a handoff and appeared to be bottled up, but he cut back and found paydirt.
"I was supposed to go to the right," Turner said. "They all crashed in and I felt an opening to the left. Luckily, I had my tight end and quarterback out there."
Matthys said defeating a team like Jefferson (5-2, 4-2), which is likely a Division 3 playoff team, will be huge come seeding time.
Turner had a key 54-yard TD run in the fourth quarter to help Brodhead-Juda come back and beat Jefferson 28-20, clinching a spot in the playoffs. Turner rushed for 107 yards on 17 carries and scored one touchdown.
"It was a great birthday present," said Turner, who was celebrating his 17th birthday. "It's all about the team. It's not about one person."
The Cardinals seven-play, 93-yard drive was set up when Jefferson senior quarterback Dustin Moldenhauer fumbled a snap and Brodhead-Juda sophomore Reeve Lincoln recovered at the 7-yard line to thwart the Eagles' drive.
"I think after that fumble they really started to get down right there," Lincoln said. "Words can't explain how that felt. I think that was the turning point in the game."
Brodhead-Juda senior quarterback Matt Trotter completed 5 of 8 passes for 90 yards with one touchdown. With the Cardinals (4-3, 4-2 Rock Valley South) leading by eight points in the fourth quarter, Trotter threw an interception with about 8 minutes to go.
"We needed a first down there," Brodhead-Juda coach Jim Matthys said. "If he completes the pass, we all look good and the game is probably over."
After giving up touchdowns on three of the first five drives in the first half, the Cardinals shut down Jefferson in the second half. Brodhead-Juda senior defensive back Cole Bauman broke up a pass on fourth down to help seal the win.
"I think the kids just stepped up their game," Matthys said. "They definitely deserved this win."
Early on, the Rock Valley crossover game had the makings of a shootout. The Eagles capped a six-play, 76-yard drive with Moldenhauer tossing a 21-yard TD pass to Brendon Morgan with 5:43 left to take a 7-0 lead. The key play of the drive was a 43-yard run by senior Zeke Emerick. Emerick rushed for 118 yards on 13 carries and Garrett Blaeske had 110 yards rushing on 20 carries.
Trotter helped the Cardinals answer when he hooked up with Bauman on a 40-yard TD pass to tie the game at 7 with 3:06 left in the first quarter. It didn't take long for the Eagles to respond. Emerick, who rushed for 103 yards in the first quarter, bolted for a 50-yard TD run to give the Eagles a 14-7 lead.
Trotter then directed a 10-play, 70-yard drive that culminated in sophomore Griffin Day's 7-yard TD run to tie the game at 14 about midway through the second quarter. The Eagles answered with Moldenhauer throwing a 24-yard TD strike to Emerick to give the Eagles a 20-14 halftime lead.
"We just came out knowing what we had to do on defense," Lincoln said. "We were just fired up at halftime. We knew we had to win this game, and we are in the playoffs with this game."
The Cardinals controlled the game in the second half by pounding the ball on the ground. Trotter scored on a 22-yard run to cap a 10-play, 71-yard drive to give the Cardinals a 21-20 lead. That set the stage for Turner's big touchdown run to put the game away. Turner took a handoff and appeared to be bottled up, but he cut back and found paydirt.
"I was supposed to go to the right," Turner said. "They all crashed in and I felt an opening to the left. Luckily, I had my tight end and quarterback out there."
Matthys said defeating a team like Jefferson (5-2, 4-2), which is likely a Division 3 playoff team, will be huge come seeding time.
