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The Amboy co-op football team set the tone early Saturday. On the Clippers’ first offensive play, Jose Lopez ran up the middle for a 47-yard gain. On Amboy’s second play, Caiden Heath scored on a 4-yard run. On Milford-Cissna Park’s third offensive play, Cody Winn had a big hit on Bearcats receiver Skyler Estay to break up a screen pass. The Clippers continued to run all over MCP all day, and the Amboy defense smothered the Bearcats as Amboy started its quest for a third consecutive Illinois 8-Man Football Association state championship with a 68-8 rout in the first round of the playoffs in Amboy. “We thought we’d have a lot of success running the football,” Amboy coach Scott Payne said. “Our offensive line just set the tempo of the game from the first series with the way they were getting off the ball. “Cody played a great game. He had those two big hits for us and an interception. That first hit he had kind of jumpstarted our team. That got us all going. It was a great play by Cody.” The No. 5-seeded Clippers (9-1) will play at Pawnee (9-1) in the second round next weekend. Amboy beat Pawnee 52-8 at Pawnee in last year’s semifinals, and the Clippers traveled to Pawnee for a Week 0 scrimmage this season. “From what I’ve seen so far, Pawnee likes to throw the ball just like Milford,” Payne said. “They have a really good quarterback in Caden Ward. We’re going to have to once again defense the pass and defend the spread option. “I told the kids to enjoy it tonight, and tomorrow and come Monday we’re on to Pawnee.” On Saturday, the Clippers scored touchdowns on eight of their nine first-half drives to build a 62-8 lead at halftime. “It was great,” Heath said about Amboy starting its title defense with a big win. “The crowd was amazing. The community is great. Everything was awesome.” Heath scored Amboy’s first three touchdowns on runs of 4, 9 and 23 yards and finished with 114 yards and four touchdowns on nine attempts. “We knew coming in that Caiden Heath could have a big day with how they were setting up their defense, and he did,” Payne said. “Caiden played really well. He’s just a really great athlete.” Heath credited the offensive line. “It was just a wall,” Heath said. “They were everything for us.” Heath wasn’t the only Amboy back to have a big day. Lopez rushed for 127 yards and three TDs on 10 carries, and Colt McCoy ran for 129 yards on 11 attempts while running in a pair of two-point conversions and catching a conversion pass. “We have three backs who we have a lot of faith in,” Payne said. “We like to spread it out evenly between the three. Having all three over 100 yards, as a coach, you’ll take that every single game.” The Clippers were just as dominant defensively. Amboy held the Bearcats to 99 yards in the first half – 93 passing and 6 rushing. The Clippers’ lone blemish was a 73-yard screen pass for a TD in the first quarter. “We told our linebackers and D-line that they really have to read their offensive line, because they’re going to take you to the ball,” Payne said. “Our kids did a good job of that the whole game except for that one screen that they took for a touchdown, but you’re going to have that. You can’t stop everything.” MCP quarterback Dierks Neukomm hit Mario Martinez on the screen for the score. “Screens have been one of the things that we’ve done well all year,” MCP coach Clint Schwartz said. “Mario Martinez made a good catch. We got a few good blocks out there. Jaden Souders made a great block for him, and Mario did the rest. He’s just a really good athlete. Eventually, he’s going to be back to full health and we’re going to see really good things out of him when it comes to his senior year next year.” The Bearcats finish the season 6-4. “I thought our kids played hard,” Schwartz said. “We’re really proud of our kids. They’ve worked really hard. Obviously, it didn’t go the way we wanted. Amboy is a really good team. They’re well-coached and played hard. I thought our effort level was good. “We have a lot of positive memories to take away from this year. Our seniors did really well for us. They led us. We’re really proud. We’re going to miss them. Things don’t always go the way we want, and that happens on the football field and life, but we’re going to rebound from it an be all right.”
