I thought I was watching a shootout out in Genoa on Friday when Hampshire and Genoa-Kingston traded touchdowns on six straight possessions in the first half of their Class 4A state playoff game.
Little did I know that to the north and east Huntley and Batavia were engaged in a wild affair unlike any ever seen in state playoff history.
The Red Raiders kept their impressive season alive with a thrilling 70-63 win against the Bulldogs. Yes, that's right, 133 points were scored, shattering the old record for most combined points in a playoff game.
Joel Reuter, who covered the game for the Courier, admitted that he was exhausted by the time the contest was over.
On second look at the game's statistics, the playoff scoring record takes a back seat to the fact that Huntley set an all-time state record for most rushing yards in a single game by racking up an unofficial total of 702 yards on 53 carries.
According to ihsa.org, the record for most rushing yards in a game is 699 yards set in 1942 by Belleville West in a game against Sparta.
Here are a few other notable records from Friday's Huntley-Batavia game...
-The 133 combined points is tied for second-most in state history with last year's 75-58 Jacobs win against Larkin. The only game with more points took place in 2002 when Freeport Aquin beat Pearl City Eastland Coop 78-74, adding up to 152 total points.
-Batavia's 63 points is the second-highest total for a losing team in state history behind the 74 scored by Eastland Coop. It bumps Larkin to No. 3 on the list.
-The 19 combined touchdowns are third most in state history.
-Huntley's 710 total yards ranks fifth in state history
I'm sure I could go on and on finding more and more records that were broken in this contest. I'll leave that up to someone more industrious than myself.
As for the game I covered, I'm still trying to come to terms with the way G-K rallied for a 38-34 victory.
When Hampshire's Ron Laramie scored on a 27-yard run down the left sideline with 9:55 to play, it appeared the Whips had the victory in the bag. They had all the momentum and the feeling on the sideline was that nothing could stop a Hampshire upset.
Then Cogs quarterback Chris Wilkins decided to make up for a shaky performance to that point by leading a pair of late touchdown drives to pull off the comeback. Earlier in the game I was left wondering what Wilkins was thinking as he threw his second and third interceptions of the night, but by the end I saw what talent the young man has as he willed G-K to victory.
It's certainly a bitter pill to swallow for Hampshire's group of hard working seniors. The Whips won the turnover battle 5-0, but inexplicably couldn't win the game as their six-game losing streak came to a screeching halt.
Senior leaders Evan Brenner and James Goebbert were limited in the fourth quarter with injuries, but that doesn't serve as an excuse for why G-K was able to pull off the minor miracle. The Cogs simply dug deep and found a way to win, earning a trip to the second round of the playoffs for the second year in a row.
Elsewhere, I guess I can't say I was surprised to see Bartlett struggle against Niles Notre Dame in a 10-7 win in the Class 8A playoffs. The unbeaten Hawks have a lot of trouble in the postseason, but they'll try to put the snake bitten talk to rest for good when they attempt to reach the state quarterfinals for the first time in school history by beating Fremd next week.
In the area's other game Friday, St. Charles North saw its season end in a 24-21 loss to Crystal Lake South. I really thought the North Stars could pull this one out, but the setback only proves they can't measure up against the cream of the crop in the Fox Valley Conference. North lost by the same score to FVC Valley champion Cary-Grove in the season opener. What a way to bookend the season?
go huntley!!!