Woodstock North runs away from Plano, stays perfect

PLANO – Junior fullback David Randecker was pulled up to a 2-7 Woodstock North team as a sophomore last season.

There’s a whole different vibe around the program this season, as the Thunder have doubled last year’s win total in the first four contests of the season.

“We’ve seen so much improvement,” Randecker said. “It feels so good to be out there with my team.”

Randecker carried the ball 22 times for 152 yards and two touchdowns in Woodstock North’s 41-17 win over Plano.

Woodstock North (4-0, 2-0 KRC) established itself early, taking its opening drive 60-yards in 12 plays, punctuated by a 6-yard Braden Schnake touchdown run on a triple option that fooled everyone in the stands and on the field.

Plano (1-3, 0-2) responded in kind, driving 54 yards on 17 plays, ending the drive with a successful 23-yard field goal from Colby Byrd, cutting the Thunder lead in half.

The ensuing drive is when Randecker began his takeover.

On the first play of the drive, Randecker took a handoff up the middle and exploded through the Reaper defense for a 37-yard touchdown.

“I couldn’t do this without my teammates,” Randecker said. “Every Monday I see it as: We’re 0-0.”

Randecker’s dominance at the point of attack set the tone for the Thunder on both sides of the ball.

“He’s a horse,” Woodstock North coach Matt Polnow said. “He’s a great leader.”

Polnow credits players like Randecker for the program’s quick turnaround.

“The players make a difference,” he said. “They work really hard in the offseason.”

The Reapers made it a one possession game after Kaiden Schimandle connected with Tristan Mezaros for a 50-yard touchdown pass, but the Thunder responded just before halftime, thanks to a Parker Halihan jump ball into the corner of the endzone that was hauled in by Braelan Creighton.

The Thunder took a 27-10 lead into halftime.

In the second half, it was all Thunder. Woodstock North outgained the Reapers 190-132 in the second half, thanks in large part to Randecker, who paced the offense with 66 second-half yards.

The Thunder defense also stepped up, allowing only seven points in the second half. Woodstock North recovered a fumbled snap and forced two turnover on downs to help seal the victory.

Plano knows the score doesn’t tell the whole story.

“We had a couple penalties and a bad snap,” Plano coach Kyle Tutt said. “[Woodstock North] did a good job of capitalizing on mistakes.”

Plano’s rushing attack had bursts of its own dominance. Senior Tim Young rushed for 134 yards on 21 carries along with the lone second half touchdown for the Reapers.

“He was a lineman last year,” Tutt said of his leading rusher. “We’ve found him, and he keeps getting better every week.”

The Thunder amassed 348 yards of total offense in the ballgame, 326 of which came on the ground. While it wasn’t a 450-plus yard performance that the Woodstock North rushing game has become accustomed to, it did the job tonight.

“I’m proud of these guys,” Polnow said. “It was a hot bus ride down here. I wasn’t sure, but these boys did great.”

Polnow hopes this is the start of something great.

“Nineteen of the 22 are coming back next year,” he said. “To us, this is like an 18-game season. I’m loving every moment I get with these guys in practice.”

Halihan got his second touchdown of the night on the first drive of the second half, and Randecker got his second the next time the Thunder touched the ball. Halihan scampered for an 8-yard score, while Randecker punched it in from the 1.

After two straight losses, Tutt knows that his squad has some work to do to get back on track.

“We have to try and get those mental mistakes down to zero,” he said. “The guys felt that and they knew they will have a better chance if they eliminate those mistakes.”

For Randecker and his teammates, they have their sights set on history.

“The sky is the limit,” Randecker said. “We’re hoping to be the best team in school history.”