DuPec, Seneca both head into playoffs at 8-1 after 33-22 Rivermen victory

SENECA – Durand-Pecatonica senior quarterback Cooper Hoffman lined up deep to take the snap on fourth-and-1 at the 50-yard line with his DuPec Rivermen leading the Seneca Fighting Irish by four points with some six and a half minutes remaining.

He rolled right and surveyed the field. He had the option to punt, trying to pin back their hosts with a full field to drive and the clock ticking down.

Hoffman didn’t punt.

“I did [have the option to kick it],” Cooper Hoffman said, “but it’s not very good. My kicking skills, most of the time [my punts are] hitting somebody. That’s never good.”

Hoffman instead found favorite target Brody Black down the field for a 21-yard gain to the Seneca 29-yard line. Nine plays and five minutes of game clock later he was in the end zone, salting away a 33-22 win for DuPec over the Fighting Irish that will send both teams into the playoffs with records of 8-1.

Seneca, a No. 7 seed in Class 2A, will host No. 10 El Paso-Gridley in the opening round Friday at 7 p.m.

DuPec, a No. 3 seed, will host Genoa-Kingston in 3A.

“That last drive was huge,” the quarterback said. “Our O-line hauled, stepped up big there and created gaps for me and my running backs to get through, keep the drive going, keep the clock going so [Seneca] couldn’t get back on the field.”

In a much-anticipated battle between the DuPec passing game and the Seneca power-T rushing attack, the Rivermen and Hoffman – who was 13-of-16 passing for 240 yards and four touchdowns and added 70 yards rushing including the game-clincher with 1:30 remaining – came out on top. The offensive performances, however, were close to dead even, with DuPec finishing with a slight 354-326 advantage in yards from scrimmage.

It was instead turnovers and missed opportunities that dealt Seneca its first defeat of the season and snapped its 28-game regular-season winning streak. The Irish uncharacteristically turned it over twice in the second quarter, and on their drive between those giveaways were stopped for no gain on third- and fourth-down runs from the Rivermen 1-yard line for a turnover on downs.

“That’s a great team,” Seneca coach Terry Maxwell said. “We knew it was going to be a battle coming in, and you know, I’ve been telling these guys all year, they’ve been having these mistakes here and there, and we have to clean them up. This is evidence tonight.

“You can’t have turnovers and you can’t miss assignments. When you’re playing a good team like that, those things get you beat. [DuPec] capitalized on those mistakes, and they did a nice job tonight.

“I’m proud of our guys though. They fought hard. ... Just too many turnovers, really.”

Despite the rough second quarter, Seneca – which led just 54 seconds after the opening kickoff when fullback Brody Rademacher took a quick handoff on the second offensive snap of the game and cruised 72 yards to paydirt while the Rivermen defense chased the fake handoffs afterward – recaptured the advantage with back-to-back touchdowns in the third on a Rademacher 44-yard run and a Cameron Shriey 1-yard plunge set up by a 46-yard Rademacher carry.

But after being outscored 13-0 in the third, DuPec ate up nearly the entire final quarter and outscored the Irish 13-0 to pocket the nonconference win, Cooper Hoffman doing the bulk of the damage.

“He’s done it all season for us, pretty much his entire career,” said Tyler Hoffman, DuPec’s head coach and Cooper’s father. “That’s one of the things I said to [offensive coordinator Kyle] Nolen at the end. I said, ‘Just keep it in his hands. He’s been doing this for three years.’ ...

“When we need something, he usually steps up.”

Powered by those three long runs, Rademacher finished with a game-best 187 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. QB Paxton Giertz (49 yards) and Shriey (24 yards, TD) also had 11 carries apiece, with Giertz 1-of-5 passing for 34 yards with an interception.

Hoffman’s top target was Black, who hauled in eight receptions for 158 yards and three scores. Jordan Gassman added a 55-yard touchdown catch just before halftime.