Blue Ridge Football Loses High-Scoring Homecoming Game to LeRoy 49-30



FARMER CITY, Ill. -- The Knights' hopes of going into Saturday's Homecoming Dance celebrating a big football victory got spoiled by too much Shane Bruning.

Bruning rushed for 204 yards and four touchdowns to lead LeRoy to a Heart of Illinois Conference victory over Blue Ridge.

Bruning's first touchdown was scored on the Panthers' first drive. One play after a first-down run by Austin Eddy on third-and-3, Bruning sprinted down the right sideline for a 54-yard score.

After an extra point by Nic Stevens, LeRoy led 7-0 with 7:55 left in the first quarter. On Blue Ridge's ensuing drive, however, it came right back with a dynamic run game of its own, as Johnny Bruden (No. 14, pictured below) scored a 26-yard touchdown run to put the Knights on the board.

Two plays after the Panthers were called offsides on fourth-and-4 at the LeRoy 37-yard line, Bruden took an option run down the left sideline before juking back to the inside to avoid a Panther tackler.

LeRoy scored a two-yard touchdown with 2:55 left in the first quarter to increase its lead to 14-6. But once again, Blue Ridge countered when its offense took the field.

After the Panthers failed on an onside kick attempt, the Knights took over on their own 38. On the first play of this drive, Bruden pitched the ball to James Risler (No. 34, pictured below), who sprinted along the right sideline for a 62-yard touchdown with 2:42 left in the first quarter.

Stevens scored a one-yard touchdown with 51.7 seconds left to make the score 21-12 in favor of LeRoy at the end of the first quarter.

By the end of the game, Bruden scored another touchdown on a four-yard run. Trenor Hildreth scored on a 92-yard run while Dylan Kirkpatrick (No. 32, pictured below) recorded an 81-yard touchdown.

But it was not enough, as Blue Ridge falls to 0-6 overall and 0-5 in the HOIC. The Knights will be back on the gridiron next week for a home game against 6-0 Deer Creek-Mackinaw.

Meanwhile, LeRoy improves to 4-2 overall and 4-1 in the HOIC. The Panthers will host Tri-Valley next week.