MENDOTA - Kewanee’s Alejandro Duarte is an all-state wrestler. He looked like an all-world running back against Mendota.
All the burly senior did against the Trojans was score five touchdowns and pile up nearly 300 yards rushing in leading the Boilers to a 49-14 triumph over the Trojans in a Three Rivers Conference Mississippi Division contest on Oct. 4 at Kewanee.
With the loss, Mendota’s record dipped to 0-6 overall and 0-4 in the conference, while Kewanee evened up at 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the league.
Duarte was nearly a one-man wrecking crew, scoring Kewanee’s first three touchdowns and then adding two more in the second half, including on a run of 96 yards. That touchdown burst gave him 291 yards rushing on the night in 19 carries, which was more than half of Kewanee’s total yardage output of 530. Adding to the Boilers’ offensive production was freshman running back Ace LaFollette, who tallied the other two Kewanee touchdowns on his way to 96 yards rushing on just five attempts.
For the Trojans, while they only got into the end zone twice, they were able to move the ball on Kewanee’s defense, accumulating 280 total yards. Mendota gained 159 yards on the ground with Braiden Freeman carrying eight times for 74 yards and one touchdown. He also was quarterback Aden Tillman’s favorite receiver, catching nine passes for 74 yards.
But it was Duarte who unquestionably stole the show. And he wasted little time in demonstrating he was the main act. Kewanee took the game’s opening kickoff and marched 78 yards in nine plays, with Duarte putting the finishing touches on the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run at 7:19 of the first quarter. Tyler Johnston split the uprights on the extra-point kick.
It wasn’t a good start on offense for the Trojans as they fumbled on their first possession and Kewanee’s Oswaldo Sanchez recovered at the Mendota 27-yard line. Then on the first play for the Boilers, Duarte rambled 27 yards to the end zone, followed by a Johnston kick to make it 14-0 halfway through the first period.
Kewanee doubled the score in the second quarter to take a 28-0 lead to the locker room. Duarte got his third TD of the half on a 1-yard plunge to cap off a 10-play, 59-yards drive.
Then after five straight failed possessions on offense from both teams, Kewanee finished off the half with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Benjamin Taylor to LaFollette with 44 seconds left before intermission, completing a 71-yard drive in just 50 seconds. Johnston was successful on two more extra-point kicks.
Mendota’s offense finally broke through with some points to start the third quarter. The Trojans drove 62 yards in five plays with Freeman sprinting to the end zone from 42 yards out to get Mendota on the board. Angil Serrano added the extra-point kick. Freeman was responsible for all 62 yards during the series - 50 rushing and 12 receiving.
Kewanee scored on its next three possessions to kick-start the running clock to begin the fourth quarter. Duarte completed a six-play, 71-yard drive with an 11-yard TD run at the 7:13 mark. Then the Boilers needed just one play each in their next two possessions to get back into the end zone.
LaFollette went 55 yards for a score, and then after Mendota’s next drive stalled, a 46-yard punt by Freeman pinned Kewanee back at its own 4-yard line. But Duarte took the handoff on the Boilers’ first play and he outran the Trojan defense 96 yards to paydirt. Johnston completed a perfect night of kicking with two more PATs.
The Trojans managed to put together their best offensive series of the game on their final possession when they went 70 yards in 15 plays. The final play was a 14-yard touchdown pass from Tillman to Rhett Watson. Serrano booted the extra point.
