Was it really as easy as 1-2-3?
Junior cornerback Gage Range made it look that way Friday night for Yorkville, intercepting passes on three straight possessions by Oswego during the second half.
But Range, who checks in at 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds, also had some big help.
“I do think our defensive line deserves credit for some of those,” Foxes coach Dan McGuire said. “They’re forcing people to do things they typically don’t want to do.
“(Oswego) doesn’t want to throw the ball that many times. They’re scheming what we have, but that’s not their identity. That’s a credit to our line.”
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With Range cooking, Yorkville got its offense on track in the second half, scoring two touchdowns and a field goal off those turnovers for a 17-0 Southwest Prairie West victory.
It was the fifth shutout of the fall for the Foxes (8-1, 4-1), who also were tied 0-0 at halftime for the third time this season.
“I’m not real proud of the slow starts,” McGuire said. “Probably because I call the plays.
“We just have to finish drives better. We had opportunities to score touchdowns early in this game and didn’t connect.”
Back-to-back sacks in the second quarter by senior defensive tackles Andrew Zook and Amani Kortie set the tone as the Foxes limited Oswego to 10 yards rushing on 12 carries.
Senior quarterback Cruz Ibarra completed 19 of 35 passes for 188 yards.
“He kind of threw the ball to me all game,” Range said.
Range, who lifted his interception total to five for the season, felt he had some making up to do in that second half.
“I gave up two passes on their first drive,” Range said. “They were just comeback routes. Coach told me to read if the quarterback was rolling out, and I just had to get there next time.
“I didn’t let it happen again.”
His first interception came in the end zone after Oswego (3-6, 1-4) had marched to the Yorkville 20 following a fumble recovery.
“I saw the ball in the air,” Range said. “My mindset went to receiver, and I just went up and got the ball.
“On the second one, Blake Kersting was telling me a corner route was coming. I read it and got there first. We were playing Cover-2 on the third one, and the ball was just right there for me.”
The Foxes marched 80 yards after the first interception, capped by a 30-yard TD run from Gio Zeman, who finished with 23 carries for 175 yards. He had returned the previous week from a nagging foot injury.
Kersting highlighted the drive with a 20-yard run as the up back on a fake punt after Yorkville called a timeout on fourth-and-5 at its own 27.
Defensive end and long snapper Andrew Laurich called the check on the fake punt after seeing an Oswego wrinkle the Foxes had planned to attack.
“They overloaded the left side of our line and left a gap on the right side,” said Kersting, who has moved from linebacker to safety. “It makes our job easier when the defensive line is getting pressure and getting the ball out fast.
“Huge credit to them.”
After Range’s second interception, Yorkville went 75 yards, a drive capped off by Zeman’s 14-yard TD. Hudson Fiene kicked a 28-yard field goal after the third interception.
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“Coming into the season, we knew the back end of our defense was inexperienced for the most part,” McGuire said. “We’d have to have some guys step up.
“Range gets tested every week because of our front seven being strong, and he’s gotten better and better each week.”