Kaneland secures postseason spot

Running game, defense deliverfor Kaneland

YORKVILLE -- Up 7-0 with 5:28 remaining in regulation, Kaneland kicker Chad Swieca had the opportunity to put Kaneland up by two possessions on a soggy senior night in Yorkville.

The freshman -- the only player in white among a sea of muddy uniforms -- made his 19-yard field goal, giving the Knights a 10-0 victory while securing a 6-3 record and a berth in the playoffs.

"I thought we did a good job of holding on to the ball and our defense stepped up," Kaneland coach Tom Fedderly said. "I'm proud of how we played on defense today. Offensively, we keep telling (quarterback) Joe (Camiliere) just to take care of the ball on nights like this, keep moving the chains and score when we can. Give Yorkville credit. They played good defense too."

The Knights, who finished 5-2 in the Western Sun Conference, had trouble expanding their explosive playbook on the torn-up field.

Camiliere made the most of his legs Friday night, carrying the ball more times than he attempted passes to lead the Knights to the win a week after losing by three to conference champion Geneva.

"I can't off the top of my head remember the last interception he's thrown," Fedderly said of Camiliere, who started the game 8-of-8 passing. "It's something he takes a lot of pride in."

Camiliere rushed 23 times for just 39 yards including sacks, but the ball control kept the Yorkville offense -- which was missing starting quarterback Luke Parece (flu) -- off the field more most of the game.

The 5-foot-11 junior was also 11-for-15 passing for 87 yards and did not commit a turnover.

"Probably not," Camiliere said when asked if he'd ever rushed more times than he'd passed. "We knew coming in the field would be bad. It was about game management. We did a great job running the ball, keeping the chains moving. Our defense did a good job giving us short field all night long and we used that to our advantage."

After a defensive stop, Kaneland's offense took over its third possession of the game at the Yorkville 42-yard line. Camiliere found three receivers on the drive before junior running back Blake Serpa (74 rushing yards) punched in the game's only touchdown from 4 yards out.

"We showed that we could run the ball a little bit," Camiliere said. "If conditions are bad again, we have confidence we can do what we did tonight again."

Yorkville finishes its season 3-6 overall and 2-5 in conference, but it played much closer games this year than in years past -- a huge positive for coach Jim Still.

"I couldn't be more proud of how our seniors played tonight," Still said. "Nothing to be embarrassed about. This was our best defensive effort of the season. From a year ago to now, we've been in every single game."