Thank you for supporting our journalism. This article is available exclusively for our subscribers, who help fund our work at the Chicago Tribune.
LENA — Senior linebacker Cameron Ajazi had some sense of familiarity playing defense Saturday afternoon for Aurora Christian.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Ajazi moved to Aurora from Rochelle earlier this year, so from experience, he knows the Lena-Winslow offense pretty well.
“Our offense at Rochelle was pretty much the same thing they run here,” Ajazi said. “Power option, wing-T, pounding it with 12-play drives. It was kind of cool, actually, going up against it again.
“But I wish it would have turned out the other way.”
Ajazi, who also plays running back, and his teammates could never find a comfort zone or even come close on a beautiful sunny fall day during a disappointing 54-7 loss in a Class 1A first-round playoff game.
“It’s just how the tables turned,” Ajazi said. “It’s tough. I love football. I’ve been in football almost my entire life. I started when I was in fifth grade.”
Aurora Christian’s Max Bray (9) escapes the grasp of a Minonk Fieldcrest defender during a game on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (Photo provided by Allen Benson)
That’s when players in Rochelle begin learning the high school varsity’s offense in the town’s youth leagues.
The two programs have had history since Aurora Christian dropped to 1A in 2018. The Eagles lost to Lena-Winslow 57-14 in that year’s quarterfinals and 46-8 in the 2019 first round.
The sixth-seeded Panthers (8-2) advance to the second round, where they will play Northwest Upstate Illini rival Forreston (8-2). Forreston and Lena-Winslow tied for second in the conference with 6-2 records.
Aurora Christian (6-4), meanwhile, turned the ball over on a fumble Saturday on the first play of the game and the Panthers struck immediately.
Senior running back Marey Roby, a 5-10, 175-pound speedster, motored around the right end on a 41-yard touchdown run and then ran in the 2-point conversion.
After a quick three-and-out by the Eagles, Lena-Winslow drove 72 yards in four plays, highlighted by a 49-yard run from Ethan Fye and capped by Roby’s second TD from 13 yards out.
“Nice player,” Aurora Christian coach David Beebe said of Roby, who had runs of 43 and 57 yards later in the first half and finished with seven carries for 172 yards in the opening 24 minutes.
Things went from bad to worse for Aurora Christian, with the Panthers intercepting four passes in the remainder of the first half and building a 54-0 lead at halftime.
Aurora Christian’s Cameron Ajazi gains ground during a game on Friday, March 19, 2021. (Mike Mantucca / The Beacon-News)
Sophomore quarterback Max Bray was impressed.
“I watched hours of film and saw what this team did, and they did what I thought they were going to do,” Bray said. “They played our sets very well and some of my throws were not good. It was an off day.
Bray completed 7 of 18 passes for 134 yards to lead Aurora Christian, but the Eagles couldn’t finish until the final play of the game, when Ajazi scored his team’s lone TD on a 4-yard run.
Ajazi, who entered the game with 930 yards rushing, was able to top the 1,000-yard mark for the season. He had 17 carries for 89 yards, giving him 1,019.
“The bottom line is you can’t turn the ball over that many times,” Beebe said. “We had seven turnovers for the year and we had five in the first half.
“The first play we put it on the ground, the second play somebody’s out of position, they score. I don’t think we recovered, mentally, from there.”
It was a difficult finish for Ajazi and the other seniors.
“It stinks that we got knocked off in the first round, but the team played their hearts out this season,” Ajazi said. “We have a really young team.
“This hurts, but they’re going to be good next year.”
Thank you for supporting our journalism. This article is available exclusively for our subscribers, who help fund our work at the Chicago Tribune. LENA — Senior linebacker Cameron Ajazi had some sense of familiarity playing defense Saturday afternoon for Aurora Christian. The 6-foot, 190-pound Ajazi moved to Aurora from Rochelle earlier this year, so from experience, he knows the Lena-Winslow offense pretty well. “Our offense at Rochelle was pretty much the same thing they run here,” Ajazi said. “Power option, wing-T, pounding it with 12-play drives. It was kind of cool, actually, going up against it again. “But I wish it would have turned out the other way.” Ajazi, who also plays running back, and his teammates could never find a comfort zone or even come close on a beautiful sunny fall day during a disappointing 54-7 loss in a Class 1A first-round playoff game. “It’s just how the tables turned,” Ajazi said. “It’s tough. I love football. I’ve been in football almost my entire life. I started when I was in fifth grade.” Aurora Christian’s Max Bray (9) escapes the grasp of a Minonk Fieldcrest defender during a game on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (Photo provided by Allen Benson) That’s when players in Rochelle begin learning the high school varsity’s offense in the town’s youth leagues. The two programs have had history since Aurora Christian dropped to 1A in 2018. The Eagles lost to Lena-Winslow 57-14 in that year’s quarterfinals and 46-8 in the 2019 first round. The sixth-seeded Panthers (8-2) advance to the second round, where they will play Northwest Upstate Illini rival Forreston (8-2). Forreston and Lena-Winslow tied for second in the conference with 6-2 records. Aurora Christian (6-4), meanwhile, turned the ball over on a fumble Saturday on the first play of the game and the Panthers struck immediately. Senior running back Marey Roby, a 5-10, 175-pound speedster, motored around the right end on a 41-yard touchdown run and then ran in the 2-point conversion. After a quick three-and-out by the Eagles, Lena-Winslow drove 72 yards in four plays, highlighted by a 49-yard run from Ethan Fye and capped by Roby’s second TD from 13 yards out. “Nice player,” Aurora Christian coach David Beebe said of Roby, who had runs of 43 and 57 yards later in the first half and finished with seven carries for 172 yards in the opening 24 minutes. Things went from bad to worse for Aurora Christian, with the Panthers intercepting four passes in the remainder of the first half and building a 54-0 lead at halftime. Aurora Christian’s Cameron Ajazi gains ground during a game on Friday, March 19, 2021. (Mike Mantucca / The Beacon-News) Sophomore quarterback Max Bray was impressed. “I watched hours of film and saw what this team did, and they did what I thought they were going to do,” Bray said. “They played our sets very well and some of my throws were not good. It was an off day. Bray completed 7 of 18 passes for 134 yards to lead Aurora Christian, but the Eagles couldn’t finish until the final play of the game, when Ajazi scored his team’s lone TD on a 4-yard run. Ajazi, who entered the game with 930 yards rushing, was able to top the 1,000-yard mark for the season. He had 17 carries for 89 yards, giving him 1,019. “The bottom line is you can’t turn the ball over that many times,” Beebe said. “We had seven turnovers for the year and we had five in the first half. “The first play we put it on the ground, the second play somebody’s out of position, they score. I don’t think we recovered, mentally, from there.” It was a difficult finish for Ajazi and the other seniors. “It stinks that we got knocked off in the first round, but the team played their hearts out this season,” Ajazi said. “We have a really young team. “This hurts, but they’re going to be good next year.”