Tuscola’s second-half rally falls short against Heyworth
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By Ben Crane
HEYWORTH — Tuscola’s second-half rally wasn’t enough to overcome an early deficit Friday night, as the Warriors fell 30-14 to Heyworth in Heart of Central Illinois Conference play.
The Hornets struck immediately, breaking a 49-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage to take a 6-0 lead. They added a 7-yard scoring pass late in the first quarter and another 22-yard touchdown through the air before halftime to build a 20-0 advantage.
Tuscola responded in the third quarter after adjusting its offensive approach.
“You have to give a lot of credit to Heyworth,” head coach Andy Romine said. “They probably played well enough to beat LeRoy last week. We knew we were going to get their best shot, and we didn’t handle it well early. But our kids battled back.”
Quarterback Jon Pettry went 14 of 26 passing for 138 yards with one interception and rushed nine times for 26 yards and a touchdown. Cooper Lyons added a 1-yard rushing score, while Miles McKinnie caught four passes for 54 yards. Tanner Block added three receptions for 30 yards.
Tuscola finally broke through late in the third quarter when Lyons scored from a yard out to make it 20-7. Moments later, the Warriors blocked a punt and recovered at the 9-yard line. Pettry capped the drive with a 1-yard keeper over the top, cutting the deficit to 20-14 with 34 seconds left in the period.
Heyworth regained momentum with a 32-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter, then sealed the outcome with a defensive touchdown after intercepting a trick-play pass attempt.
Romine credited his players for staying composed despite a rough first half.
“We did everything we needed to do to get it to 20-14 and had all the momentum,” he said. “We didn’t get off the field on a third-and-six, and that was frustrating. We had plays drawn up and just didn’t finish.”
Defensively, the Warriors stiffened after the opening quarter, limiting Heyworth to 100 rushing yards on its final 32 carries. Caiden Russo led the unit with seven tackles and three tackles for loss. Kale Wilcox added six tackles and one TFL, while Lyons contributed five stops.
Romine took responsibility for an early fourth-down decision in the first quarter.
“I did a terrible job not punting with the wind,” he said. “That’s on me. Sometimes you have to be aggressive, but you also have to manage the situation better for your kids.”
Tuscola dropped to 6-2 overall and close the regular season next week against Le Roy with playoff and conference championship implications on the line.