Roxana at EAWR Play of the Game
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WOOD RIVER – The Roxana Shells secured a decisive 27-8 victory over the East Alton-Wood River Oilers in a cross-town rivalry game on Friday night, marking their third consecutive playoff qualification.
The game began with a strong defensive play from Roxana in the first quarter. A blocked punt allowed Lyndon Thies to scoop up the ball and score a touchdown, giving the Shells an early 7-0 lead.
Roxana Coach Wade DeVries commented on his team's performance, saying, "We came in with a plan and they wrecked it pretty early on the offensive side. I thought defensively we played really well the whole game. We knew they were good up front. At halftime, we made a few adjustments and it worked in our favor."
The Oilers responded in the second quarter when Travis Skinner ran the ball in for a touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion that put EAWR ahead 8-7 at halftime.
"I thought first half we had great effort and we played good offensively and defensively and then the second half we came out and forgot how to play football." EAWR coach Garry Herron said.
The second half saw a shift in momentum as Roxana took control of the game. Mason Crump scored two rushing touchdowns in the third quarter, extending the Shells' lead to 14-8 and then to 20-8.
In the fourth quarter, Max Autery added an insurance touchdown to finalize the score at 27-8.
