Danville 28, Springfield 14
DANVILLE — William Morris and Dennis Hightower scored second-half touchdowns as Danville snapped a 14-14 deadlock to win its Class 6A playoff opener at Whitesell Field.
"Our defense set up a couple scores and we were able to drive the ball in the second half," Danville coach B.J. Luke said.
Aaron Hardimon's blocked punt set up the Vikings for their first score. An interception by Hightower and his return to the 11 preceded Morris' TD, which gave the Vikings the lead for good 21-14. Hightower added the clinching score with 3:51 to play.
"They were what we expected, a tough matchup for us," Luke said. "They have good size."
Springfield (5-5) passed for 289 yards but was limited to 75 rushing. Guy Rowell and Aaron Hale had eight tackles apiece for Danville. Cirron Clark and Devin Lewis each had seven.
Morris rushed for a game-high 138 yards. Hightower gained 115 on the ground and passed for 51, including a TD strike to Martez Davis.
Arcola 15, Tri-County 13
OAKLAND — Arcola converted a late fourth-down conversion in its own territory to help run the clock out in its upset of the fifth-seeded Titans.
Omar Rojas rushed for 206 yards on 33 carries, including a 25-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Zach Moutria's 1-yard touchdown run and ensuing two-point conversion plunge put the Purple Riders ahead 15-6 in the third quarter.
The Titans drew to 15-13 in the fourth quarter on Luke Clapp's 27-yard run. Clapp finished with 77 yards.
Brook Van Gundy had 16 tackles for Arcola.
Bismarck-H. 33, Pinckneyville 15
BISMARCK — For the ninth consecutive game, Adam Baker caught a touchdown pass, helping Bismarck-Henning overpower Pinckneyville in a Class 2A game. His reception, on an 18-yard pass from Krystian Ingram, started the scoring at 5:56 of the opening quarter. Kevin Allen scored two TDs for the Blue Devils (9-1).
Pinckneyville had eight fumbles, losing two.
GCMS 31, Abingdon 8
GIBSON CITY — Jordan Schultz, Trevor Smith and Cole Lush combined for 333 rushing yards, and Zach Kirby's only completion resulted in a touchdown as the Falcons rolled.
Beardstown 28, G-RF/Chrisman 27
BEARDSTOWN — Korie Vire scored three touchdowns and converted three extra points but narrowly missed a 26-yard field goal with 19 seconds to play as Georgetown-Ridge Farm/Chrisman dropped a first-round Class 3A playoff contest.
"Some of our kids thought it was good," Buffaloes coach Josh Cavanaugh said.
The Buffaloes were in position for a win after Ryan Berry stripped the ball from Beardstown with 36 seconds to play at midfield. G-RF/C marched to the 9 where, out of timeouts, it tried the field goal.
"We played about as good as we could at times," Cavanaugh said. "It was a great game."
Vire led the Buffaloes (6-4) with 83 yards rushing. He had a pass reception for 48 yards. Matthew Hay, who scored a TD, had 53 yards receiving and 49 rushing. Brock Dieu completed 10 of 23 passes for 134 yards.
Brock Herrin had 17 tackles for the Buffaloes. Tanner Kelley had 13 and Derrick Shuman 11.
Auburn 42, Westville 22
AUBURN — Kyle Brazas and Shane Overshiner scored first-half touchdowns, lifting Westville into an early 14-7 lead, but the Tigers (7-3) couldn't hang on in a first-round Class 2A game. Overshiner rushed for a game-high 144 yards.
Auburn, the school with the largest enrollment in 2A, scored 35 consecutive points after the Tigers went ahead 14-7. Jon Hoepner had two receptions for 30 yards for Westville.
The Tigers' final touchdown came in the final period on Zach Waclaw's 90-yard fumble return. Overshiner caught a two-point conversion pass from Brazas, who converted 2 of 2 place-kicks.
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