Durns, Waubonsie Valley win with big plays
There were a number of big plays Friday night at Oswego, and many of them had to do with whether or not Waubonsie Valley speedburner Tony Durns got his hands on the ball.
Fortunately for the Warriors, with the game tied in the fourth quarter, Durns got his hands on the ball and 94 yards later he was standing in the end zone with what proved to the game-winning score in a 27-20 victory over Oswego (1-1).
Earlier Durns had a 61-yard TD run as the Warriors built a 13-0 halftime lead, but the Panthers, who last year had ended Waubonsie's season in the playoffs, battled back to draw even at 13-13 after three quarters.
The Warriors then answered when quarterback Zach Bennema faked a handoff to Durns and broke off a 78-yard score to give the visitors a 20-13 lead with early in the fourth quarter.
But Oswego drew even less than four minutes later when Bennema - on a play designed to go to Durns - didn't hand off to his tailback and instead fumbled a pitch while being hit that was recovered in the end zone by Oswego linebacker Chad Marsh and tied the game at 20.
Turnovers like that can be backbreakers against good teams, but it didn't take long for Durns to get all the momentum, and the lead, back for the Warriors.
He was initially surprised that the Panthers chose to kick deep and he didn't field the ball cleanly. But after picking it up at the 6-yard line, Durns raced through the Panthers coverage squad and did his best to top last season's regular-season effort against the Panthers.
"My coach told me to come up because they had been kicking it up some," said Durns, who scored three touchdowns last year in a Week 2 defeat of the Panthers. "I did not expect to have to go back and catch it… I wasn't ready for that."
But Durns, who also ran for 121 yards on 15 carries, scooped up the loose ball and let his fancy footwork take over from there.
"My dad tells me all the time to be patient on kick returns and it will be there for you," he said.
Durns' kick return was just one of many big plays on both sides of the ball. The Warriors defense recorded seven sacks and an interception, but Oswego stayed in the contest in large part with the running of Treshon Weddington, who had 148 yards and a 17-yard TD that had tied the score at 13-13 in the third quarter.
"Big plays, big play, big plays," was how Panthers coach Brian Cooney summed up the Warriors night against his team. "They've got speed that we can't simulate. When they've got speed like that on the perimeter, you can't make silly breakdowns like we made. That turned the tables."
As impressive as Durns' kick return was, his 61-yard run to paydirt in the first half was just as impressive, as he broke a couple tackles, spun away from a would-be tackler on a wet turf and finished the terrific run with a burst of speed to put his team on top 13-0.
Warriors coach Paul Murphy was not surprised, however, to see the 5-foot-7 junior pull off the play.
"Burns is super strong. Our kids have done a great job in the weight room. If you don't wrap him he can break tackles because he's so strong.
"He may not look like it, but he's one of the strongest kids on our team."