Big points and snapped streaks: What we learned about Peoria-area football in Week 3
Here are some takeaways from Week 3, including a monster defensive game by Dunlap, a prolific point total for Peoria High, and big victories for Peoria Heights and Limestone.
Defensive Dunlap dominates
Last week, this space praised the Washington defense for its effort in a 7-3 loss to state-ranked Kankakee.
What Dunlap did to host Pekin's offense on Friday night before a big crowd at Memorial Stadium was downright dirty. The Eagles allowed 70 total yards — 45 passing and 25 rushing — in a 40-0 victory on the Mid-Illini Conference opener for both teams.
"You never expect to play that well defensively against Pekin," Dunlap coach Brett Cazalet said. "You just don't."
Week 3 football coverage: Full recap | All the scores | Top performers
Peoria High scores 92
That's not a typo. Or a misprint. The state-ranked Lions actually beat Urbana 92-0 in a Big 12 Conference game at Peoria Stadium.
The incredible total begs the question: What's Peoria High's record for points in a game? That would be a still playoff-record of 96 points, scored by the Lions in the second round of their 2016 Class 5A championship run. The Lions that season set the all-time state record for points in a season with 805.
But those 92 points don't even sniff the Illinois High School Association's top-20 list for most points in a game. Peoria High (2-1) is 29 points short of cracking the 20th spot in the record book. A 233 outpouring of points by Staunton from 1923 still stands as the state's top total.
Heights beats reigning 8-player champs
Peoria Heights earned its first on-field victory since the final game of the 2021 season, defeating reigning 8-player state champion Biggsville West Central, 56-38, on Thursday night.
The Patriots (1-2) rallied from a 24-20 deficit in the second quarter, scoring 28 in a row to seize a 48-24 lead just minutes into the second half, according to The Hawk Eye. Heights gained 401 yards of offense, including 245 rushing.
Peoria Heights finished 1-8 last season, earning a forfeit victory in the home opener. The Patriots face Sciota West Prairie next week on the road.
Stifling defense and rare wins: What we learned about Peoria-area football in Week 2
Limestone snaps its streak
The Rockets played cardiac kids, coming back from down a dozen points to score a 13-12 win over East Peoria. Limestone posted its first victory since a Week 5 victory over the Raiders in 2021 thus ending a 15-game losing skid.
Quarterback Caleb Bieneman put together a pair of scoring drives just 1:35 apart, finding Kmar Sanders and Chase Harper for touchdowns. This sends the Rockets (1-2, 1-0) into a Week 4 visit to undefeated Dunlap (3-0, 1-0).
Here we come, Week 4
Glancing at the schedule for Week 4 brings the age-old Peoria rivalry to the forefront.
Peoria Notre Dame heads to Richwoods for a 7 p.m. Friday kickoff. The Knights captured last year's Big 12 Conference game with a 48-35 victory, snapping a nine-game losing streak in the series.
Also on tap for the Mid-Illini fans is Morton (3-0, 1-0) welcoming Metamora (2-1, 0-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in a key league tilt.
Need a small-school fix? Farmington is at Aledo Mercer County, Heyworth travels to Deer Creek-Mackinaw and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley heads to Eureka. Those should do the trick.
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall. Wes Huett contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA football Week 3 takeaways: Results from biggest games near Peoria
