Kaneland impresses in opener

It didn’t take long to discover that the Kaneland offense still possesses big play potential.

On the game’s first play from scrimmage, Knights sophomore quarterback Drew David connected with senior Quinn Buschbacher on a quick middle screen. Buschbacher did the rest, exploding through Brooks’ secondary untouched for a 67-yard touchdown.

Buschbacher displayed his versatility by adding three rushing touchdowns as the Knights rolled to a 44-0 non-conference victory in front of an enthusiastic capacity home crowd in Maple Park.

“It felt great scoring on the first play,” Buschbacher said. I’m still replaying it in my head right now. I can’t believe it happened.”

“Everyone did a great job handling their assignments tonight. It was a great team victory.”

“Quinn is one of the biggest playmakers on our team and in the entire conference,” said Kaneland head coach Tom Fedderly.

David displayed a solid command of the offense in his first varsity start, completing his first eight passes.

He finished 14-of-20 for 201 yards, including a perfect 22-yard scoring strike to Sean Carter to complete a 41-point first half outburst.

“It’s really good to see a sophomore come in and have that type of success,” Fedderly said. “It’s nice to have an experience offensive line in front him.”

Carter led the team with six receptions for 77 yards while sophomore Jesse Balluff added 23 yards rushing and 30 yards receiving.

The Kaneland defense was equally impressive, allowing just three first downs in the first half.

Brooks quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw hit Clifton Lloyd on a pair of long pass plays in the second half, but Jacob Razo snared an interception in the third quarter to help preserve the shutout.

“They moved the ball here and there and we have a few things to clean up, but overall we’re happy with the result,” Fedderly said.

Sophomore kicker Matt Rodriquez also proved to be a huge weapon for the Knights, knocking four kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks as well as drilling a 43-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

“He’s huge,” Buschbacher said. “Field position is everything and when he pins a team deep down in their own territory it really fires up the defense to make a stop.”

With the comfortable lead, the Knights were able to get their reserves some valuable playing time. Dan Goress gained 44 yards on four carries while Brandon Bishop added 17 yards on the ground.