Alburnett downs Crestwood in hard-fought Class 2A high school football postseason battle

ALBURNETTT – Heart. Guts. Grit.

Alburnett has used those ingredients for a successful recipe in hard-fought games. Pirates Coach Nick Wooldrik said it’s been a hallmark of this year’s players.

“These guys have worked their butts off all summer, all season,” Wooldrik said. “We kept talking about how we’re built to win these close games. We’re not always flashy. … They know if they keep it close, we have a good chance to win in the end.”

All the intangibles were on display in eighth-ranked Alburnett’s postseason opener against Crestwood Friday night at Jim Carver Field at Martin Sports Complex. Laken Caves scored two third-quarter touchdown runs and the Pirates defense forced four turnovers in a 13-6 victory over the Cadets in a Class 2A first-round high school football playoff game.

“It took a lot of physicality and a lot of effort,” Caves said. “They came out and hit us well but we hit them back.”

The game would classify as an old-fashion slobber knocker thanks to the first-half defensive standoff and scoreless fourth. Despite running just 21 offensive plays in the first half and managing just two first downs, the Pirates were still confident in their ability to produce points with some adjustments.

“We were just missing a few blocks in the first half,” Wooldrik said. “They were doing some things, defensively, we weren’t ready for. We knew we could capitalize on things once we got to halftime. We drew up some new stuff.”

Alburnett ended the scoring drought on its second possession of the third. The Pirates covered 80 yards on three plays. The initial spark came on a 43-yard screen pass from Brody Kaestner to Caves, setting up his 36-yard TD run for a 7-0 lead.

“(Alburnett lineman Hunter) Sauer made a heck of a play and creamed someone,” Caves said. “I saw that, read my blocks and got in the end zone.”

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Crestwood answered with its lone scoring drive of the game. Cadets quarterback Alex Loden slipped in for a 1-yard TD but the extra point was missed, making it 7-6 in favor of Alburnett with 4:38 left in the third.

The Pirates extended the lead back to seven on the next series. Caves rushed for a 34-yard score on fourth-and-3, bursting into the second level off left tackle.

“There was a lot of game left,” said Caves, who finished with 189 offensive yards including 139 rushing on 24 carries. “We tried to keep up the tempo. Just keep playing.”

Caves, who hadn’t played much defense since an early-season ankle injury, added two interceptions. He joined Tayten Coufal, who had a pick to thwart Crestwood’s first drive of the game.

“He’s just a good athlete,” Wooldrik said of Caves. “The other guys complement him well. It’s not just Laken. We get pressure on the quarterback. It’s a good team win for us.”

The Cadets held a 35-21 edge in plays and a 117-43 advantage in offensive yards, rushing for 111 before halftime. Loden and Jose Lievano formed a strong 1-2 punch. Loden ran for 123 yards and Lievano added 84, but Crestwood only reached the red zone once.

“We’ve done that all year,” Wooldrik said. “We’ll bend a little bit. We’ll give up some yards here or there but when push comes to shove, we seem to step up and make a big stop.”

Alburnett improved to 7-2 overall, advancing to next week’s round of 16. Crestwood closed the season at 4-5.

ALBURNETT 13

CRESTWOOD 6

AT ALBURNETT

CRE ALB

First Downs 16 9

Rushes-yards 47-205 30-132

Passing yards 52 123

Comp-att-int 2-15-3 9-16-0

Total yards 257 255

Fumbles-lost 2-1 2-1

Punts-avg. 3-44.3 6-32.2

Penalties-yards 6-40 5-56

Crestwood 0 0 6 0 -- 6

Alburnett 0 0 13 0 -- 13

ALB – Laken Caves 36 run (Reis Moore kick)

CRE – Alex Loden 1 run (kick failed)

ALB – Caves 34 run (kick failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Crestwood: Loden 26-123, Jose Lievano 18-84, Ethan Bergan 2-2, Finnegan Donlan 1-(minus 4). Alburnett: Caves 24-139, Owen Henriksen 2-3, Cooper Franklin 1-3, Team 1-(minus 4).

PASSING – Crestwood: Loden 2-15-3-52. Alburnett: Brody Kaestner 9-16-0-123.

RECEIVING – Crestwood: Finnegan 2-52. Alburnett: Cash Varner 4-63, Caves 2-50, Henriksen 2-11, Franklin 1-(minus 1).

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com