With Friday’s game against Crystal Lake South in the balance, there was one thing that Burlington Central coach Brian Iossi never expected to see.
It was sophomore quarterback Jackson Alcorn racing right down the opposite sideline for a 40-yard touchdown run, the decisive points in a 24-20 victory for the Rockets.
“He’s a decent runner,” Iossi said of Alcorn. “Normally when he takes off, it’s like a 10 or 15-yard gain. Next thing I knew, he was bolting down the sideline and gone.
“We were messing with him Saturday morning. I was like, ‘Jack, you’re a little faster than I thought you were, buddy.’ I told him, ‘I didn’t think you’d ever run for a 40-yard touchdown.'”
Little did Iossi know, there was another person just as surprised.
And that was Alcorn himself.
“I told him at the beginning of the year, I’m not much of a runner, then that happened,” Alcorn said. “I shocked myself.”
On that play, Alcorn was looking in that direction for sophomore receiver LJ Kerr. His plans changed quickly.
“The pocket collapsed immediately,” Alcorn said. “They came fast and I saw the left side open up, so I just took off. The outside backer came up, and I knew I could beat him to the outside.
“LJ made a great block, and it left the sideline wide open. It didn’t really hit me until the end of the game (how) that won the game.”
That type of performance for a varsity rookie can be just the thing that builds bravado for the future.
“It’s incredibly invaluable for him to have that big moment,” Iossi said. “Every week you can see him gaining more confidence.
“He’s got young receivers around him — two sophomores (Kerr and Caden West) and a junior (Michael Person). They’re gaining more confidence every week in what they’re doing and their timing and rapport with each other.”
In Iossi’s first season as head coach for the Rockets, Alcorn entered the summer in a competition with junior Ryder Bergemann to be the starting quarterback.
Several factors played into the decision to go with Alcorn.
Iossi said Alcorn has a better arm, and several talented receivers played in his favor. Also, Bergemann is a starter at cornerback on defense.
“Ryder is just as talented,” Iossi said. “They battled this offseason. We went back and forth. We just felt like Jackson at quarterback gave us a little better opportunity with things.
“It also helped us overall because Ryder could focus on defense.”
Once he got the job, Alcorn went to work.
“I took it really seriously,” Alcorn said. “I knew I was going to have to study a lot of film. I knew the game speed was going to change a lot, so I was going to have to pick it up.”
After going 1-3 in the first four weeks, the Rockets realized every game quickly became a playoff scenario. They cleared the first hurdle against Crystal Lake South.
Now, Jacobs (4-1) arrives Friday for Burlington Central’s homecoming. The Golden Eagles are coming off their first loss with a 37-20 defeat against Huntley.
“We’ve had some success against Jacobs in the past,” Iossi said. “We won a couple years ago. I think we match up well with them. Our defense has played really well the last few weeks.
“It’s going to come down to our offense and how we move the ball against them.”
Alcorn, meanwhile, said the Rockets have never lost faith.
“I feel like we can still make the playoffs,” he said. “It’s realistic. We just have to stay disciplined — that’s the biggest thing.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.