Speedy Lisbon claims Class A District 5 showdown over Pekin, 28-15

LISBON — Tiernan Boots’ yards-per-carry average took a minor hit, and he didn’t mind a bit.

“Like our coaches said, ‘Five yards at a time,” said Boots, the speediest in a long list of Lisbon speedsters.

Boots got most of his 164 yards on tough runs up the middle, and fifth-ranked Lisbon outfought Pekin, 28-15, in a Class A District 5 football showdown Friday night at Walmer Field.

“Our offensive line opened things up,” said Boots, who carried the ball 28 times, scored three touchdowns and upped his season rushing total to 986 yards (10.2 per carry). “Between Dakota (Clark) and me, we’re able to keep them guessing.”

Clark added 102 yards on 16 carries, and the Lions (5-0 overall, 4-0 district) were the superior squad in the trenches on both sides.

Pekin (4-1, 3-1) entered the game averaging 58 points and 269 rushing yards per game. But the Lions held the Panthers to 46 ground yards, and 12 of Pekin’s 30 rushing plays went for negative yardage.

Lisbon was brilliant through most of the first half, and led 21-0 at intermission.

“Against Highland, we didn’t come out firing on all cylinders,” Boots said. “We had a really good start tonight.”

Pekin possessed the ball through most of the first quarter, but a fourth-down sack by Chase McFarlane in the red zone gave the ball to the Lions, and they went to work.

An eight-play, 80-yard drive ended in Boots’ 19-yard scoring scamper (just simply, too fast), and the Lions were on their way.

Boots was the Class 1A state track runner-up in the 100-meter dash last spring.

Quinn Coleman returned an interception 20 yards to the Pekin 5, Boots scored again from the 1, and it was 14-0.

Clark got loose on a 28-yard TD run on Lisbon’s next drive, and a rout seemed imminent.

But the Lions were flagged more often than they’d like (nine penalties, 115 yards), and Pekin made a couple of big plays to make it interesting the second half.

  Buy Photo

“We can always get better,” Lisbon’s Gage Holub said. “We have a lot to improve on.”

Holub blocked two Pekin punts — one at the end of the Panthers’ first drive, the other in the fourth quarter, which set up Boots’ third TD run.

“I came from the outside. I saw on film that they were a little weak over there, so I came firing off the edge,” Holub said.

Pekin’s Alijah Brock caught three passes for 118 yards, including a late 63-yard touchdown.

Lisbon is at Wapello next week; Pekin is at Highland.

Lisbon 28, Pekin 15

At Lisbon

TEAM STATISTICS

First downs: PEK 10, LIS 15

Rushes-yards: PEK 30-46, LIS 46-264

Passing yards: PEK 188, LIS 25

Passing: PEK 10-24-1, LIS 4-8-0

Total yards: PEK 234, LIS 289

Fumbles-lost: PEK 0-0, LIS 2-1

Punts-average: PEK 3-17.0, LIS 3-20.3

Penalties-yards: PEK 10-60, LIS 9-115

SCORING SUMMARY

Pekin 0 0 8 7 — 15

Lisbon 7 14 0 7 — 28

LIS — Tiernan Boots 19 run (Gage Holub kick)

LIS — Boots 1 run (Holub kick)

LIS — Dakota Clark 28 run (Holub kick)

PEK — Nolan Glick 7 run (Riley Smith run)

LIS — Boots 3 run (Holub kick)

PEK — Alijah Brock 63 pass from Will Adam (Henry Adam kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing

Pekin — Will Adam 9-31, Henry Adam 3-5, Nolan Glick 7-5, Riley Smith 2-5. Lisbon — Tiernan Boots 28-164, Dakota Clark 16-102, Team 2-(minus 2).

Passing

Pekin — W. Adam 9-23-1-138, H. Adam 1-1-0-50. Lisbon — Clark 4-8-0-25.

Receiving

Pekin — Alijah Brock 3-118, Kasey Davis 3-12, Robert Brown 2-7, Glick 1-39, H. Adam 1-12. Lisbon — Grayson Wollum 2-10, Daylin Schaefer 1-12, Quinn Coleman 1-3.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com