Purple Riders cruise past Blue Devils at Russ Ghere Field

VILLA GROVE — Arcola's football team remained in the playoff hunt with a 50-12 victory over Villa Grove at Russ Ghere Field on Friday night.

Villa Grove's Hunter Butts scored the first touchdown of the game — a 15-yard rush with 7:30 left in the first quarter — before the Purple Riders scored 50 unanswered points to bring the Russ Ghere Trophy back to Arcola for the first time since 2021.

Jayden Henson-Stice scored two offensive touchdowns for the Purple Riders (2-3) with rushes of eight yards and 12 yards in quick succession late in the first quarter.

Brody Phillips added a pair of rushing touchdowns of his own, with a 24-yard score late in the first quarter and a 10-yard strike in the fourth quarter.

Anthony Burgos returned an interception 55 yards for an Arcola score during the second quarter, a feat that was matched by Brayden Wilcox-Rich's 30-yard pick six in the third frame.

The Blue Devils (0-5) saw their streak of consecutive playoff appearances dating back to 2016 come to a close, although Noah Wilcoxin rushed for a touchdown with 1:42 remaining in the game to close the contest on a high note.