Friday night at Taylor Field started out with the pageantry and celebration of Homecoming, and ended with the heartbreak of defeat.

The Illinois Valley Central Grey Ghost varsity football team took on Mendota in the Ghosts’ last home game of the year.

The game started off with IVC receiving the opening kickoff.

On the second play from scrimmage, IVC quarterback Chris Razo threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to running back Cody Kentzel, and it looked like it might be a long night for Mendota.

Linebacker Dan Semtner’s point after touchdown was blocked.

Mendota then got the ball on its own 22 yard line following IVC’s kickoff, and the Ghosts got their first look of the night at Mendota’s superstar, junior halfback Kurtis Knapp.

Led by the strong running of Knapp, the Trojans marched down the field on a 78 yard drive that was capped off by a 5-yard touchdown run by Knapp. The Trojans’ PAT was good and Mendota took the lead by a score of 7-6.

IVC then got the ball back and managed one first down, thanks to the strong running of senior halfback James Lauber, before they were forced to punt.

The Trojans then marched the ball into IVC territory before IVC’s defense forced the Trojans to attempt a field goal on fourth and 3 at the IVC 24 yard line, which was no good.

IVC then got the ball back and Razo, who had 281 yards on the night, continued his early game success with a 30-yard pass to wide receiver Justin McCallister, who had 112 yards receiving for the game.

On its next set of downs, IVC was faced with a fourth and one when Razo handed the ball to Lauber, who ran through the Mendota defense to pick up 10 yards and a first down.

Despite a 10-yard pass to senior wide receiver Terell Williams, who had 71 yards receiving for the night, IVC was faced with another fourth and 1 when Razo took the ball on a rollout and ran 7 yards for a first down.

Two plays later, Razo threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Jake Switzer, who had a big game with 74 yards receiving. The two-point conversion attempt was no good.

Mendota got the ball back with around 4 minutes left and moved the ball down to the IVC 26 yard line before Knapp threw a 26-yard touchdown pass on a flea flicker play to halfback Vince Bruno. Knapp then ran the ball in for the two-point conversion.

Despite starting off their next drive with a juggling catch made by Williams that went for 39 yards,
IVC could not move the ball and went into the locker room down, 15-12.

Coming out for the second half, Mendota moved the ball into IVC territory before two consecutive false start penalties backed them up with first and 20 at IVC’s 26 yard line.

On third and 15, after two short runs by Mendota, IVC defensive back Keegan Horack jumped and intercepted quarterback Jordan Fritz’s pass.

After the turn over, IVC started off with a 3-yard run by Lauber, which Razo followed up with a 13 yard completion to Williams.

On the next play, after a 5-yard run, Lauber had to be helped off of the field after a jarring hit.
Razo then threw an interception to Mendota defensive back Justin Delhotal.

IVC’s defense came in and answered the call by stopping Mendota for a three and out, capped off with a 6-yard sack by defensive lineman Thomas Foley.

IVC then fumbled the fair catch punt attempt and Mendota took over deep in IVC territory at the 38 yard line.

On their first play after the IVC fumble, Mendota had a fumble of its own, which was recovered by Foley.

Razo started off the next drive with a completion to Kentzel, which was called back on a holding call on IVC, one of the Ghosts’ many penalties of the night.

Backed up with first and 22, Razo threw an incompletion, halfback Jake Elias followed up with a 2 yard run and Razo threw another incompletion, forcing the Ghosts to punt.

The Trojans then were held to a three and out by the Ghosts’ defense, which put up a shut out in the third quarter.

After a pass interference call and a completion to McCallister, the third quarter, in which no team scored, came to an end.

Following a third down completion to McCallister for a first down, Lauber came back into the game.

Despite the return of Lauber, the Ghosts ended up with a fourth and 2 when Razo threw his second interception of the night, this time to defensive back Matt Sondgeroth.

On their second play following the turnover, Mendota’s offense took off when Knapp went on a 72 yard touchdown run. Mendota’s PAT was good.

Razo came out after the kickoff and, after an incompletion, hit running back Shannon Zwicky for seven yards and McCallister for 34 yards.

The Ghosts were then bogged down and faced with a fourth down when Razo made an elusive run through the Mendota defense for what would have been a first down but was called back on an illegal block.

On their second fourth down try, Razo barely got the ball after a bad snap but somehow dodged defenders to attempt a pass to a wide open Kentzel, who dropped the ball, turning possession over to Mendota on downs.

Two plays into their next drive, Mendota’s Knapp, who was by all accounts the player of the game, ran for a 68 yard touchdown. The Mendota PAT was good.

With long passes to Williams and McCallister, Razo led the Ghosts down to the Mendota goal line before the quarterback took the ball into the end zone himself.  The two-point conversion was no good.

Despite IVC tight end Scott Hale recovering Foley’s onside kick, the Ghosts could not move the ball again and were beaten by the Trojans, 29-18, suffering their first loss of the year.

“They had those two big breakout plays; we got beat upfront on the line,” IVC head coach Tim Heinz said. “They are a good football team. We’ve got to be able to run the ball more effectively, but that’s a credit to their defense. We went to our passing game and it was working, but we’ve got to be able to make big plays. It just wasn’t our night.”

The Ghosts are now 4-1 on the year and 1-1 in conference play.

IVC will attempt to bounce back, as they continue conference play on the road against a tough Rock Falls team at 7:30 p.m. Friday.