Taylorville continued its strong start to the season Friday night, defeating Canton 30-16 on the road to move to 2-0 on the young season.
The Tornadoes were led offensively by quarterback Isaac Repscher, who accounted for four touchdowns, while the Taylorville defense came up with a strong performance against a Canton offense that relied heavily on the run.
Taylorville got on the scoreboard when Repscher connected with Wyatt Younker on a 6-yard touchdown pass. The Tornadoes attempted a two-point conversion, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
Repscher later found the end zone himself on a 6-yard touchdown run, continuing his strong night.
One of the biggest plays of the game came on a trick play when Repscher connected with Blake Ladage on a 26-yard touchdown pass. Ladage then lateraled the ball to Patrick Curtin, who finished the play in the end zone for the touchdown.
Curtin was named the Nicole Patrick Player of the Game following his performance.
Speaking with IL SportsWire’s Anthony Rivecco after the game, Curtin credited Taylorville’s preparation and execution, particularly late in the contest.
“I mean, great, great effort,” Curtin said. “Fourth quarter, we really ramped it up. 0-9 was getting a bunch of push, and we just ran the ball, just ended the game. I mean, just really proud of everyone on this team, everyone executed. All the points mattered today.”
Curtin also talked about the excitement surrounding his touchdown, which came on a play Taylorville had practiced throughout the week.
“Oh, man, it was great,” Curtin said. “Trick play, we practiced it all week, it was perfect every time. And I mean, we just really worked at it, and I was super confident going in. We all knew it was going to work, so it was just a great feeling.”
Taylorville added three more points when Ben Peabody connected on a 35-yard field goal before Repscher struck again through the air, finding Maddex Havera for a 27-yard touchdown pass.
Canton answered with two touchdowns from Caleb Jochums, who threw a touchdown pass to Dane Grzanich and also scored on a touchdown run.
Taylorville’s defense held strong down the stretch, helping the Tornadoes secure the 30-16 victory.
Defense Sets the Tone
For Taylorville linebacker Eli Ellis, the victory was a reflection of the team’s preparation and energy throughout the night.
“I think we prepared really hard,” Ellis said. “They came out, they fought really hard, but we just kept bringing it the whole game. And we didn’t give up at all, the whole time. Kept bringing energy, and I think that’s what got it done for us.”
Canton’s run-heavy offensive approach required Taylorville to prepare differently during the week. Ellis said the defense spent significant time preparing for what Canton would bring offensively.
“We knew it was going to be different, so we prepared a lot for the offense,” Ellis said. “And I think, overall, it worked out. We had a lot of help with Scout Team and just guys learning their offense to help our defense overall.”
The win gives Taylorville a 2-0 start, providing plenty of momentum heading into the next challenge.
The Tornadoes will travel to Carbondale next week for a Saturday matchup. Curtin said the team will enjoy the victory before getting back to work.
“We got to celebrate first,” Curtin said. “And next week, just go to work, longer week. We got one extra day being a Saturday game, but we’re going to look at Carbondale, and we feel confident in our ability to win.”
Ellis echoed that confidence while looking at the bigger picture for Taylorville this season.
“We want a bye week, for sure,” Ellis said. “So we want to and then have a home playoff game, which we haven’t had in a while, so that’d be really nice. And then next week, we’re just going to keep bringing it. It’s a Saturday game, so it’ll be a little bit different, but we’ll prepare for it and we’ll be ready.”
Taylorville is now 2-0 and will look to keep its momentum rolling against Carbondale next Saturday.