ORFORDVILLE — Despite just two weeks of practice together, quarterback Max Godfrey and wide receiver Tyler McKeon had an instant connection, as the duo accounted for three of Pecatonica-Argyle’s seven touchdowns in a 46-0 victory over Parkview-Albany on Friday, Sept. 8.
McKeon was one of three late additions to the team that got a start in Week 4, including Jameson Johnson at wide receiver and Mason McNett at outside linebacker.
“We had some new adds in the last week or so, and depth really helps in football,” first-year Pecatonica-Argyle head coach Mark Stateler said. “They came in and became a part of the team — there is nothing separate.”
Following a three-and-out on Parkview-Albany’s first drive, the Pecatonica-Argyle offense quickly went to work. On second-and-1, Godfrey threw a first-down pass to Talen Havens. Following a short Havens run, Godfrey connected with McKeon and Johnson for back-to-back first-down passes. Godfrey’s next pass found McKeon for a touchdown. McKeon reached over the head of cornerback Kaden Zurfluh, caught the pass and ran the remaining five yards to the end zone.
“We didn’t have much time to practice together or find what each other likes,” McKeon said of his time with Godfrey. “If I thought I had a mismatch, I gave him a little nod, like ‘Hey, look my way.’”
Haven’s 2-point conversion rush came up short, giving the visiting Vikings a 6-0 lead with 7:48 left in the first half.
Parkview-Albany started its second drive of the quarter at its own 38-yard line, and moved up to the 43-yard line with runs from Kamron Parker. Facing third-and-3, freshman QB Louis Nath threw up a pass intended for Mathias Treinen that landed in the arms of Godfrey. The defensive back nearly had a pick-6 but was brought down just short of the goal line.
The home team pushed its visitors back with a tackle for loss, but on the second snap of the drive, Nathan Burkeland rushed 10 yards to the end zone. Burkeland capped the possession with a successful 2-point conversion — just over two minutes after the first score.
“It was really important,” Godfrey said of the interception and quick score. “I think they [Parkview-Albany] came in here, thinking we were pretty evenly matched. We started shoving it down.”
The Pecatonica-Argyle defense forced another three-and-out, putting its offense on the field once again. With a false-start penalty and bad snap, the visiting Vikings faced third-and-13. Godfrey moved the chains with a 27-yard pass to Burkeland.
Two plays later, Pecatonica-Argyle faced another third-and-long situation. This time, Godfrey found Johnson, who caught the pass and ran down to the 2-yard line. The Vikings capped the drive with a TD pass from Godfrey to McKeon. Nath broke up the 2-point pass intended for Ike Waage, as Pecatonica-Argyle took a 20-0 lead with 1:10 left in the first quarter.
Another Parkview-Albany three-and-out on offense sparked its defense. On the first snap of Pecatonica-Argyle ensuing drive, Parker made a tackle for loss. Three consecutive incomplete passes led to the first three-and-out for Pecatonica-Argyle. With a bad snap and scramble on the punt, the home Vikings received the ball on its opponent’s 39-yard line.
Following two short carries by Parker, the offense faced fourth-and-1 at the 30-yard line. Nath’s QB keeper moved the chains. Parkview-Albany got in the red zone — down to the 9-yard line — with another Parker run, but the offense fumbled.
Pecatonica-Argyle recovered at the 9-yard line but was unable to capitalize on the turnover. However, the offense got the ball again with Godfrey’s second interception of the half, but a key tackle for loss by Parkview-Albany’s Michael Williams, Peter Roth and Zurfluh stopped another Pecatonica-Argyle drive.
“You can’t turn the ball over multiple times,” Parkview-Albany head coach Joe Flister said. “That’s my focus going forward. We have to practice better and take care of the ball. We didn’t help ourselves. We didn’t execute on offense, and we turned the ball over. We can’t do that.”
Parkview-Albany had a chance to score with just over a minute left in the first half, but a bad snap and two penalties led to a three-and-out.
With 59 seconds left in the first half, Pecatonica-Argyle was on a mission. Facing third-and-15, Godfrey connected with Waage for a 27-yard pass, bringing the Vikings to Parkview-Albany’s 42-yard line. A 15-yard pass interference penalty on the next snap moved Pecatonica-Argyle up to the 28-yard line. Godfrey took advantage of the mental mistake, finding Waage again for a 28-yard TD pass with 13 seconds left on the clock. Waage completed the drive with an extra point, putting Pecatonica-Argyle up 27-0.
Although Pecatonica-Argyle went three-and-out in its first drive of the second half, the offense got the ball back as Johnson recovered yet another fumble. The Vikings started at their own 31-yard line and moved up to the 46-yard line with a pass interference call on Parkview-Albany. Waage caught a 7-yard pass, setting up the offense at the 39-yard line. Havens took it the rest of the way for a 34-0 lead with just over six minutes left in the third quarter.
On the ensuing return, Nath went down and exited to the sideline. Aiden Crane, who was the QB for the first three weeks, took over at the helm. Two plays later, Havens forced a fumble and Johnson was nearby to recover. On the same play, Treinen went down and was carted off my paramedics, appearing to have a leg injury. Neither player returned to the game.
“We know we don’t have the numbers right now, so anytime a guy goes down, it’s impactful,” Flister said. “We will evaluate and see how Mathias [Treinen] is doing. We don’t have a diagnosis right now. I think Louis [Nath] will be just fine.”
On the first snap after the fumble recovery, Godfrey found McKeon for their third touchdown of the night and a 40-0 lead.
With a running clock for the remaining 4:41 of the third quarter and all of the fourth, Pecatonica-Argyle put in its underclassmen. Freshman Martin Anderson returned a punt for a touchdown, but it was called back for an unsportsmanlike penalty. Fellow freshman Luke Leonard took a pass right from the hands of Zurfluh for an interception. With 2:16 left in the game, Martin completed an 11-yard TD pass to sophomore Ashton McNett for a 46-0 final.
Pecatonica-Argyle finished with 395 yards of total offense, 270 of which came in the air. Godfrey was 18-for-26 passing for 259 yards and four TDs. Anderson was 1-for-1 for 11 yards and one TD. Mckeon hauled in six passes for 100 yards and three TDs. Waage, who also had six catches, tallied 88 receiving yards with one TD. Ashton McNett also recorded a TD.
On the ground, Burkeland and Havens rushed for one TD each. Havens ran 49 yards on seven carries, while Burkeland tallied 23 yards on four carries. Mason McNett averaged 8.7 yards per carry.
Defensively, the Vikings had a slew of defenders with 10 or more tackles — Burkeland (17), Charles Anderson (16), Mason McNett (12), Kyle Theorin (10) and Levi Krebs (10).
With the win, Pecatonica Argyle improves to 1-3 overall, while Parkview-Albany drops to 0-4 overall.
“We are trying to make a statement now with our new coach,” Godfrey said. “It’s really shown.”
