Mendota stuns Morris in 4A playoffs

The Mendota Trojans didn’t care about Morris Redskins’ state history. They were interested in making some of their own.

Mendota stunned the three-time state champions in a big way with a 35-0 defeat in the second round of the 4A playoffs on the Redskins’ home turf. And the Trojans did it without star running back Kurtis Knapp, who is sidelined with an enlarged spleen as the result of a virus.

“I just thought (Morris) was ripe for the picking. You could just tell with our kids that we had a great night of practice Thursday,” Mendota coach John McKenzie told the Mendota Reporter “There was no one feeling sorry for themselves. Kurtis has carried us for three years; its time for us to carry him. That’s what our kids did.”

Even without Knapp, who is to be sidelined for four weeks, the Trojans racked up 265 yards rushing. Travis Martenson, who missed a good portion of the season with a broken arm, gained 165 yards on 12 carries, including TD runs of 55, 73 and 9. Alex Carrusso added a 50-yard TD romp.

The Trojans (9-2) will do battle with another program well documented in the IHSA history books when they host Geneseo in the 4A quarterfinals at Doenier Field at 1 p.m. Saturday in Mendota. The Maple Leafs (9-2) edged Bishop McNamara 26-24.

Mendota reaches the quarterfinals for just the second time in school history and first since 1987.

2A: Three Rivers champion Morrison blanked 9 seed Lanark-Eastland Pearl City 42-0 in the second round of the 2A playoffs, holding EPC to 9 rushing yards and 53 overall.

“We can always get better, but our defense was just crazy today.” said Morrison senior Kyle Janssen, whose team will host Orion (10-1) in next weekend’s quarterfinals.

3A: Another Three Rivers team, Sterling Newman, pitched its own shutout in 3A, defeating Oregon 9-0. The turning point came on Oregon’s opening possession. The Hawks (6-5) marched 44 yards to the Comets’ 27-yard line before stalling with an incomplete pass on fourth down.

“When we stopped that first drive, you could just see the kids pick up confidence,” Newman coach Mike Papoccia said. “We realized we could play with them, and that’s when we kicked it into gear.”