Bulldogs trounce Evanston

Fail by one point to qualify for post-season

EVANSTON -- The Waukegan Bulldogs reached their goal of attaining five wins and becoming playoff eligible on Saturday, trouncing the Evanston Wildkits 41-17 in a Central Suburban League game to finish the regular season at 5-4, 2-3 in conference.

But on this sunniest of summery days, a small black cloud hovered over the revitalized football program, which ended up falling one point shy of the number of playoff points needed to qualify for the post-season. Playoff points are the total number of wins by the opponents on the team’s schedule.

The 256 playoff teams were announced at 6 p.m. Saturday on the IHSA Web site, and when all the smoke cleared, Waukegan was one of just 11 five-win teams in the state not to make the playoffs. Sixty-three five win teams did make it.

The cutoff, it turned out, was 36 playoff points, achieved by five teams, including Waukegan. Only one of those teams, Christian Life High School in Rockford, made it to the post-season, based on the tie-breaker that determines points based on the wins of opponents a team has beaten. In Waukegan’s case, that number was 6, last among the five teams with 36 playoff points.

As it turned out the team that could have pushed Waukegan into the playoffs was the first team on the Bulldogs’ schedule this season, Mather, which lost 24-22 on Saturday in a Chicago Pulbic League playoff game. A win by Mather (1-8 on the year) would have given Waukegan 37 playoff points and the last spot in the field of 256.

“My wife and I stayed up until 4 a.m. today figuring it out and there doesn’t seem to be a way we’re going to make it,” said head coach Pat Jennings following the game and prior to the IHSA announcement. “But the thing is, we turned this program around. These kids did everything that we asked them to do and they did it the right way. Now everyone knows what it takes to win, and we can continue to go in the right direction. I’m very proud of this team.”

The Bulldogs went 0-9 and 2-7 in Jennings’ first two years at the helm before breaking through this season with a 5-4 mark, the first time Waukegan has won that many games since 2001, the last time the team made the playoffs.

Waukegan used a 27-point second quarter to put the game out of Evanston’s reach on Saturday, starting with a 54-yard punt return for a touchdown by Melvin McBride early in the second quarter.

The Wildkits answered with a 51-yard touchdown run by sophomore sensation Darrell Shepherd, who gained 229 yards on the day on 35 carries for Evanston.

With the score 10-7 in Evanston’s favor, the Bulldogs reeled off three more touchdowns in the final 6:27 of the half, two coming on consecutive offensive plays. The first was a spectacular 69-yard romp by quarterback Mar’Quezie Edmonds on the Bulldog’s first play from scrimmage after the Wildkits’ score. The elusive Waukegan junior made at least seven Evanston players miss on his way to the goal line. When Waukegan recovered an Evanston fumble on the ensuing kickoff, it was Mar’Quezie Edmonds throwing 15 yards to his brother Mar’Quone for a touchdown on the initial play of the drive. Two offensive plays, two touchdowns for the Bulldogs. The score stood 19-10 in favor of Waukegan when the Edmonds to Edmonds connection struck again with 40 seconds left in the half. Mar’Quezie scrambled for what seemed like 15 seconds behind the line of scrimmage before unloading a 34-yard completion to Mar’Quone that brought the ball to the nine yard line. Then, with 16 seconds left in the half, Mar’Quezie Edmonds found Denzel Ray in the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown.

Waukegan scored twice more in the second half on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Mar’Quezie Edmonds to Roman Edingburg, then on an 8-yard touchdown run from Montrael Barnes.

For the game, Mar’Quezie Edmonds was 13 for 18 passing for 159 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 94 yards on 10 carries.

Barnes had 71 yards rushing on 14 carries.

Rhashaan Melvin picked off an Evanston pass, and two Bulldogs blocked punts, one by junior George Papandreou and the other by junior Sadrac Cherfils.

Evanston finished the season 1-8, 0-4 in conference.