Playoff- bound Bobcats pour it on
Back of the Yards has been open for only five years and is playing just its third football season. The Bobcats spent their first two seasons rising through Public League conferences that aren’t eligible for the state playoffs. This season, playing in the Chicago Great Lakes conference, was their first shot at qualifying, and they’ve taken full advantage of the opportunity.
“Whooo, yes,” Back of the Yards quarterback Jeremiah Harris said. “It was the goal this season. For a second, I thought our chances were slim, but after the first three games, I thought we had it. Now there’s no looking back.”
Back of the Yards beat visiting Ellison 48- 6 on Thursday. Harris, who also plays defensive back, finished 4- for- 8 passing for 101 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. The 6- 3, 170- pound senior also had eight carries for 80 yards, including a terrific 27- yard touchdown run in which he threw off two tacklers.
“[ Harris] has improved tremendously this season,” Bobcats coach Sheamus Murphy said. “He leads us both offensively and defensively. He’s made big strides in the passing game, and he is absolutely loving defense. I think that will be his best po- sition, as far as college is concerned.”
McKendree, Winona State and Wisconsin- Platteville have shown interest in Harris.
“I’m just trying to take it one week at a time and not go overboard,” he said. “We want to play smart. We put all our hard work in over the summer, and now we see it paying off.”
Sophomore running back Horace Murff had 15 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown for the Bobcats ( 7- 1, 6- 0 Chicago Great Lakes). Junior Carl McNickles scored on passes of 53 and 16 yards.
“We’ve been trying to get our name out there for a while,” McNickles said. “People say this is a soccer school or a wrestling school. We tried our best over the summer to prove that wrong.”
Murphy was impressed with his players’ commitment.
“This was our best summer by far with attendance and commitment to what we are doing,” he said. “That’s why they accomplished this playoff goal. We knew we had a lot of guys coming back, so we felt we had a good shot at it. We had a couple of question marks on defense, and some guys really stepped up for us.”
Senior Kevon Given had three carries for 50 yards and two TDs for Back of the Yards, which expects to be placed in Class 5A.
Ellison ( 2- 6, 1- 4) was outmanned and playing in mismatched uniforms. But the Lions played hard until the final whistle. Quarterback Zackery Lipscomb, a sophomore, connected with Tommie Evans for a four- yard touchdown pass with 2: 23 to play.
“We weren’t going to give up,” Ellison senior Cimarron Hunt said. “We play until the end and leave all our blood out there.”
Hunt is a dangerous, stylish kick returner.
“That’s my favorite part — I like to dance a little bit and play with them,” he said. “This season has been a learning experience. Losing is tough, but I try to grow a little every game.”