Kaneland rolls Dixon

DIXON — When the football game between Kaneland and Dixon was still in the balance Friday night, it was Quinn Buschbacher who illuminated the disparity in athleticism between the two schools.

The Kaneland senior had two long punt returns and a kickoff return that all led to touchdowns as the Knights pulled away from the Dukes with a second-quarter flurry en route to a 59-14 Northern Illinois Big XII crossover win.

It was only fitting that Buschbacher scored the last of the Knights’ five first-half touchdowns on a 6-yard slant after his pair of 38-yard punt returns and a 75-yard kickoff return shortened the field considerably.

“We studied the film and saw how they were going to come out (on special teams),” said Buschbacher, who had 222 all-purpose yards on the night. “I feel like I should have taken (the kickoff return) to the house. Our special teams did their best job of blocking.”

“Quinn is such a great open-field runner,” Kaneland coach Tom Fedderly said. “Obviously, he’s one of our big weapons. We have been concentrating on trying to get him some returns. He has the ability to go all the way every time.”

The Kaneland offense was in control from its opening possession when sophomore quarterback Drew David, who torched the Dukes’ defense for 5 TD passes in completing 15-for-27 attempts for 276 yards, found Zack Martinelli in stride on the Knights’ fourth play from scrimmage.

The junior wideout raced untouched for 56 yards out to begin the Kaneland onslaught.

“Drew is a great quarterback, and the line gave him time,” said Martinelli, who would also score from 25 yards out as the Knights pulled away in the second half. “The throw was right on the money. You couldn’t have asked for a better throw.”

But Dixon, following the first Buschbacher punt return enabled Davis to throw his second scoring pass to conclude a two-play drive, answered on a Scott Goad naked bootleg to halve its two-score deficit.

But the dam caved in when Buschbacher returned the ensuing kickoff to the Dukes’ 10-yard line; Davis’ 15-yard strike to Matt Kucera typified the Knights’ third-down efficiency.

“Our execution on third down is something that we talk about,” Fedderly said.

Goad would haunt the Knights’ defense the entire game with his running ability; the Dukes’ all-around athlete who had two punts in excess of 50 yards ended up with 139 yards on 16 carries and both Dixon touchdowns.

But the Knights’ pass defense was off the charts, limiting Goad — -and his late-game replacement — into a single completion for 1 yard in 12 attempts.

The Knights defense also held the Dukes’ halfbacks to 45 combined yards on 27 attempts.

The Knights’ Jesse Balluff had three ground scores while racking up 124 yards in 25 carries.

“It‘s basketball on grass — that‘s what (Kaneland) is,” Dixon coach Dave Smith said of the Knights’ athleticism in open field. “All three phases they were sound in. Offensively, (Fedderly) is well-balanced.”