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Belvidere North is 7-0 for only the second time in school history. But getting these last two wins — and the Blue Thunder’s first-ever outright NIC-10 title (it tied for first in 2014) — might be harder than getting the first seven combined.
North is 5-28 lifetime against Hononegah and Harlem, who are both 6-1.
That’s just fine with the Blue Thunder, who can clinch at least a tie for the title by beating visiting Hononegah on Friday.
“We’ve had that the last couple of years, where the tail end of our schedule is heavy,” North coach Jeff Beck said. “We have a lot of kids who are returning, so we are used to that by now. They are used to playing games that matter in October and November. It’s where we want to be, playing games at the end of the season that matter.”
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These are the last two NIC-10 teams standing last year when North went to the Class 6A quarterfinals and Hononegah to the 7A quarters. Both would be undefeated this year if Hononegah hadn’t had to forfeit a win over Harlem for using an ineligible player. And, this year, both teams are run-first after Hononegah graduated Cole Warren, who led the conference in passing last year. North has thrown the fewest passes in the league (24) and Hononegah the third-fewest (65), with quarterback Dominic Kelly running (373 yards) more than throwing (246).
“With the string of quarterbacks they have, their passing game has always been advanced for high school football,” Beck said. “They have decided to concentrate on the skill set of their quarterback. He is super quick and stops on a dime. It’s a great call by them. They are huge up front, which they usually are, and have some big physical running backs.”
That doesn’t mean both teams will be used to defending the other’s style. Hononegah has the biggest lines in the conference, while North averages only 195 pounds on its offensive line. “Their size always gives you worry,” Beck said.
North’s deception in its option running game does the same to Hononegah.
“They are so unique in running that triple option, it’s always a difficult week,” Hononegah coach Brian Zimmerman said.
The difference this year is the meat-and-potatoes part of North’s running game has not worked as well as in the past, while the splashy parts are better than ever. Fullback Trent Dinsmore ran for over 1,000 yards last year and averaged 5.7 yards per carry. This year, Dinsmore only has 188 yards on 52 carries, but part-time halfbacks Ben Bucher and Erick Roman have been having the two most explosive seasons in league history. Bucher (477 yards) and Roman (468) both have a chance to absolutely crush the conference record for yards per carry of any back with more than 700 yards. Boylan’s Will Sahlstrom averaged 11.8 yards in 2008. Bucher (19.1) is almost double that and Roman (15.6) is also in unheard-of territory.
More: Belvidere North runs first and runs last — but can still break off big plays this year
“Those guys are quick,” Zimmerman said. “They are doing a great job of getting the big plays. They toss that ball out to the edge and once they get there, they are gone.”
And averaging only four carries a piece per game, keeps Roman (linebacker) and Bucher (defensive back) fresh to do their main job on defense.
“Everyone asks, ‘Why doesn’t one of those kids have 100 carries?’ We use them sparingly,” Beck said, “and spread the ball around to let them play defense. But they are home run threats every time they touch the ball.”
This game should come down to whether Hononegah can stop Belvidere North from hitting home runs. And whether North can slow Hononegah’s running game the way Boylan did last week — without Kelly burning them with the pass.
“Boylan did a nice job of adjusting to a five-man front and slowing our run game down,” Zimmerman said of last week’s 17-7 win. “But our philosophy is if they take away one thing, we can do the other. We were able to throw for over 100 yards and our offensive line gave us time to do it. Hopefully, if North takes away one thing, we can capitalize on the other.”
Matt Trowbridge is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at mtrowbridge@rrstar.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @MattTrowbridge.
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