Paxton-Buckley-Loda Seth Hitz misses a tackle on Unity's Tyler Hensch during the second-round playoff game last Saturday. The Panthers (7-4), new to the Illini Prairie Conference, put up a good fight against the state-ranked Rockets at Hicks Field before their season came to a close after a 21-14 finish in Unity's favor. Next, the Rockets host the Bullets of Williamsville at 2pm tomorrow.
Photo: Unity Rocket Photos
Unity quarterback Blake Kimball sheds PBL linebacker Dalton Jones keeping the ball for a short gain. On a beautiful November afternoon in Tolono, Kimball set a school record on Saturday for most completions in a single season with the Rockets at 136. Tomorrow, he will have an opportunity to set the bar higher when the Rockets host their third home playoff game this season against Williamsville for a quarterfinal showdown. Saturday's forecast calls for mostly cloudy conditions with the high in the upper 30s. West winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts to around 25 mph could be a problem for extending his mark much higher.
Photo: Unity Rocket Photos
Austin Langendorf and another Unity player break up a pass play to PBL's Jacob Gronsky. The Rockets, who entered the game scoring 41.9 points per game during the regular season, got the job done with a 21-14 victory is in its 26th playoff appearance in the last 27 fall seasons. A win tomorrow and the following week will mark Unity's sixth playoff appearance in as many years. See more game photos at Unity Rocket Football.
Photo: Unity Rocket Photos
The Unity Rockettes perform on the sidelines for fans during the game on gorgeous fall day.
Photo: Unity Rocket Photos
Braxton Manuel bursts through a banner before the start of second-round game between Illini Prairie Conference foes. Manuel and the Rockets defeated the Panthers earlier in the season, 35-0.
Photo: Unity Rocket Photos
Rockets' Boden Franklin grabs on to Panther ball carrier Tyler Smith on a third-and-three play for a loss. The stop forced PBL to punt the ball putting it on Unity's 9 yard line. See more game photos at Unity Rocket Football.
Photo: Unity Rocket Photos
Paxton-Buckley-Loda senior Tyler Smith along with help from teammate Garret Sanders brings down Unity's Matt Brown. With a chip on their shoulder and something to prove, the Paxton-Buckley-Loda defense held Unity, who averaged 41 points/game during the regular season, to a total of 21 in their playoff game. PBL gave up an average of just 11.9 points in their first nine games in the IPC.
Photo: Unity Rocket Photos
Unity assistant coach and offensive line coach Tony Reetz talks to players during the game. UHS trailed 14-7 early in the second half of an exciting high school football game. The Rockets erased the deficit, first, on a pass from Blake Kimball to Dillon Rutledge on a fourth-and-15 play, and later when Kimball found his way into the end zone on a 13-yard run with 6:42 left in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Photo: Unity Rocket Photos
Matt Brown evades PBL's Tyler Smith. Brown will be key to Unity's advance past Williamsville when they meet on Saturday at Hicks Field. In their last meeting back during the 2012 playoffs, Unity survived 10-7 on a last-second field goal on a day shaping up with similar weather conditions nine years ago. Brown finished the game against the Panthers with 87 yards on 24 carries.
Photo: Unity Rocket Photos
Unity senior Blake Kimball stretches forward to get the ball into the end zone for the game-winning score. Kimball called his own number 23 times tallying 101 rushing yards producing a come-from-behind playoff win for the Rockets. See more game photos at Unity Rocket Football.
Photo: Unity Rocket Photos
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