DARLINGTON — Darlington (7-1, 6-0) exploded for 34 first-half points en route to a 34-24 win against Belleville (7-1, 5-1) on Friday, Oct. 7. The victory secured at least a share of the SWAL conference title for the Redbirds.
“It was awesome,” Darlington head coach Travis Winkers said of the early lead. “Credit to Belleville for coming back, but you don’t apologize for winning. Mike [Nolden] is doing a great job with that program, so it’s a good win.”
Midway through the first quarter, Cadyn Burbach put the Redbirds on the board with a rushing touchdown. Breylin Goebel converted on the ground for two more points.
Belleville failed to score on their opening drive, as Maddox Goebel sacked quarterback Aidan Keyes to force a fourth-and-long situation.
On the offensive side, Maddox Goebel caught a deep pass from Burbach, setting the Redbirds up for another score. Ross Crist found the end zone, and Breylin Goebel ran for another two-point conversion to go up 16-0.
Belleville went to the pass in its next drive but was unable to convert, as Burbach and Maddox Goebel provided Darlington with great coverage. On fourth and five, the Wildcats brought out their punt team but faked the Redbirds out for a rushing first down.
Darlington’s defense stopped Belleville once again with a sack by Reagen Jackson and fumble recovery by Burbach.
Maddox Goebel led the offense again, as he caught a pass and ran for a touchdown. A false start pushed the offense back five yards, forcing an extra point. Burbach put it through the uprights for a 23-0 lead.
Another fumble recovery by Bryan Lazaro-Mendoza gave Darlington the ball. For its fourth score of the night, Darlington fooled Belleville’s defense with a fake up the middle, while Burbach ran to the outside for a touchdown. He also scored the two-point conversion.
With time running out in the first half, Belleville marched down the field with back-to-back-to-back passes. Keyes ended the drive with a touchdown pass to Andrew Ace.
“They have the best stats in the state for passing attacks, so I thought our defense did really well tonight,” Winkers said of his pass defense. “Yeah, they will score some, and we have to get a little better on some stuff. I’m happy with it, though.”
The extra point by Jake Fahey hit the bottom crossbar and bounced through to make it 31-7, Darlington.
The Redbirds tacked on three more points in the first half with a 24-yard field goal from Burbach. Darlington took a 34-7 into the half.
The momentum shifted greatly in the second half, as Belleville scored two minutes into the third. After nearly being sacked by Jackson, Keyes connected with DeMarcus Connor for a 31-yard touchdown pass. Fahey’s extra point was good, as the Wildcats got within 20 at 34-14.
On its first possession of the second half, Darlington turned the ball over on downs.
Facing three-and-out, Belleville faked the punt for a second time. The shovel pass paid off, gaining nine yards and a first down. Though moments later Wildcats turned the ball over on downs.
Belleville’s defense came up clutch, though, as the Wildcats recovered a fumble in the end zone for a safety. With ten minutes left in the game, Belleville found itself still trailing 34-16.
On their next possession, the Wildcats marched down the field with a pass to Kaden Desmet and run from Conner. Desmet caught another pass from Keyes for a touchdown, and Connor caught the two-point-conversion pass with 3:23 left in the game.
The Wildcats attempted an onside kick, but Tye Crist successfully covered the ball for Darlington. After two first-down runs from Breylin and Maddox Goebel, the Redbirds ended the game in victory formation.
Burbach was 4-for-8 in the air for 104 yards. On the ground, he ran for 81 yards. Unfortunately, Burbach exited the game in the third quarter with a cramp, and ended up sitting the rest of the game concussion-like symptoms.
“I went to go to talk to him about something, and I could tell he wasn’t quite right,” Winkers said. “Hopefully he’ll be good to go next week. If not, he’ll be back for playoffs.”
Breylin Goebel recorded 81 rushing yards on 14 carries. The Redbirds leading receiver, Maddox Goebel, tallied 76 yards on two completions.
Jackson dominated on defense, sacking the quarterback twice and recording 10 total tackles. He and Carter Murray forced one fumble each.
Darlington plays at Fennimore (2-6, 1-5) in Week 9. Belleville ends the regular season with a game against Parkview/Albany on Friday, Oct. 14.
