Brad Bennewitz

Chicago Hope Academy continued its deepest playoff run in school history, preventing ROWVA-Williamsfield from setting its own postseason mark, ending the Cougars’ season with a 57-7 win at Bill Adams Field in Oneida. The co-op, which last advanced to the quarterfinals in 2005 as ROWVA-Alwood, scored on its opening possession, a 12-play, 85-yard drive, capped off by Bryan Bertlshofer’s 15-yard touchdown run. The score earned Bertlshofer the Dave’s Autobody Crunch Time Player of the Game.

ROWVA-Williamsfield tied a Class 1A playoff record with 5 interceptions and advanced to the third round of the IHSA football playoffs for the first time in the co-op’s history, defeating Lincoln Trail Conference rival Stark County 36-8 Saturday afternoon in Oneida. The Cougars returned two of the picks for scores.

Spencer Brown scored four touchdowns, including three rushing TD’s, as ROWVA-Williamsfield advanced to the second round of the Class 1A playoffs for the second straight season, defeating Sterling Newman, 28-14. But it was a daring fourth down fake punt early in the fourth quarter that helped turn the tide for the Cougars, which improved to 8-2.