Geneseo 26, McNamara 24

KANKAKEE, Ill. - Derek O'Connor had hurt Geneseo all afternoon, but on his last snap the Maple Leafs had enough.

O'Connor took the ball on an option play, looking for the two-point conversion and a tie game in the final minute. But Geneseo linebacker Jason Johnson burst through on a blitz, drilling the McNamara quarterback for a loss to preserve the 26-24 win.

"They had a couple goal-line stands on us, and we finally broke through the run," Geneseo coach Larry Johnsen Jr. said. "(McNamara) was really explosive."

O'Connor had lit up the Leafs (9-2) for 305 yards of offense to that point, and the McNamara defense had done a fine job as well.

Leafs kicker Luke Lembke booted a 20-yard field goal 2 minutes before the crucial stop to give Geneseo an eight-point lead.

Geneseo moves on to play at Mendota (9-2) next weekend.

Alexis United 28, Heyworth 27

HEYWORTH, Ill. - Alexis United recovered a Heyworth fumble on its own 1-yard line with 1:20 left in the game to preserve a win over the Hornets in a second-round Class 1A playoff game Saturday.

After Heyworth took a 27-21 third-quarter lead, the Red Storm faced fourth-and-4 when senior quarterback Zach Steele found junior Josh Winston in the end zone for an 8-yard TD reception to regain the lead.

Red Storm senior Adam Olin scored twice on a pair of 2-yard runs to lead the Red Storm (10-1), finishing with 97 yards on 22 carries. Geoffrey Hahn added 101 yards on 11 carries, including a 3-yard touchdown run.

Gibson City 60, Mercer County 19

Gibson City standout Michael Romshek rushed for 232 yards and three touchdowns in the first half as the Falcons rolled to a 30-0 advantage in the second quarter of their Class 2A matchup.

Romshek added another touchdown during the third-quarter flurry when he made a leaping one-handed interception and returned it 85 yards to give GCMS a 54-12 lead.

"That was too much to overcome, especially when we were down by three scores at the half," said Mercer County coach Nat Zunkel.

Romshek's first-half touchdowns came on runs of 62, 34 and 8 yards. He finished with 240 yards on 22 carries.

GCMS (10-1) advances to the quarterfinals for only the second time in school history. The Falcons play Annawan/Wethersfield on Saturday. The game time will be announced Monday.

Sterling Newman 9, Oregon 0

STERLING, Ill. - For the second straight week, the Comets turned in an outstanding defensive effort and will play a Class 3A quarterfinal game for the first time since winning a state title in 2004.

The Newman defense had four interceptions, and the offense did just enough.

Steven Wilson caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Jack Hanlon in the second quarter. Joe Blessman added a 32-yard field goal in the third.

Washington 28, Sterling 21

WASHINGTON, Ill. - The Golden Warriors couldn't hold a 14-0 lead and fell victim to four straight Washington scores spanning three quarters.

Drew Neubauer threw two interceptions, and Sterling fumbled three times during their Class 5A contest.

Annawan/Wethersfield 33, Amboy/LaMoille 21

AMBOY, Ill. - Sean Walker ran in three touchdowns, and Annawan used three straight scores to open up a 19-7 edge in a Class 2A contest.

The lead reached 19 points before a late Amboy score.