Schuckman: Bombers finish one historic chapter, ready themselves to chase more benchmarks

CARTHAGE, Ill. — On a field where history grows with every blade of grass, the Illini West football team was intent on keeping history from happening.

For nearly eight minutes, that seemed possible.

Then in a blink, it became clear history wouldn’t be denied.

Facing undefeated, state-ranked Macomb in the regular-season finale Friday night at Fuzz Berges Field, the Chargers put it all on the line on the opening drive. A fake punt on fourth down from midfield went for 24 yards, and Illini West converted another fourth down in the red zone.

Needing to win to earn a playoff berth, the Chargers suddenly had the chance to put the Bombers on their heels and give themselves legitimate hope.

But the drive stalled, and Illini West turned the ball over on downs.

A little more than a minute later, Max Ryner scored on an 8-yard run to give Macomb an insurmountable lead. By the time the final seconds ticked away on the Chargers’ season, the Bombers owned a 46-0 victory and the fourth undefeated regular season in program history.

Now the Bombers see if they can do what one of those undefeated teams couldn’t and the other two never had the chance to do.

That will be to notch double-digit victories.

The 1989 Macomb team finished the regular season 9-0, but lost 41-20 to Bartonville Limestone in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs. The 1954 team finished 8-0, but that was two decades before the Illinois High School Association implemented the playoff system. The 1922 team went 9-0-1.

Four other Macomb teams have won nine games, including the 1998 team that finished 9-4 with a Class 3A state semifinal appearance.

No Macomb team has ever finished a season with at least 10 victories. A senior class that saw the varsity finish 0-9 their freshman year has the chance to do that at home next weekend in the first round of the playoffs.

The Bombers, along with the rest of the 256 playoff qualifying teams, will learn their classification, their seeding and their bracket when the IHSA pairings are revealed Saturday night via a live television broadcast. Macomb is expected to be in the Class 4A bracket, although based on enrollment, it could fall into the 32-team Class 3A bracket.

No matter which class it is, the Bombers figure to be a headache for anyone.

Ryner is a bulldogged runner with a burst of speed who makes running between the tackles possible. A trio of wide receivers — JTJeter, Langdon Allen and Jayden Jones — create matchup problems and are breakaway threats on any play, and the gunslinger running the offense — senior quarterback Jack Duncan — can pick a defense apart or burn you over the top.

The defense, with linebackers such as Ethan Ladd, Lindsey May and Ryner, as well as Carter Hoge at safety, has allowed eight or fewer points in six of the nine games with a pair of shutouts.

It adds up to a team capable of making history, not repeating it.

Friday night, the first historic benchmark was reached.

It won’t be the last.