At some point, opposing teams might stop kicking to Manteno’s Tyler Buehler.
But until they do, the Manteno senior will keep making them pay.
Buehler returned the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown and ran back a punt 72 yards for another TD on Sept. 19 as the Panthers held off a Reed-Custer rally to win 26-21 on the road.
It’s the second time this season Buehler has run back the opening kickoff for a score.
“Special teams was a big difference in that game, for sure,” Manteno coach RJ Haines said. “He’s explosive. Overall, our special teams did a nice job. We do a good job blocking downfield.”
And Buehler has the burst that most opponents can’t match.
“You can’t teach speed,” Haines said. “And it’s hard to deal with.”
Manteno (3-1, 2-0 Illinois Central Eight) opened an 18-0 first-quarter lead thanks to Buehler’s two TDs and Connor Harrod’s 49-yard touchdown pass to Kalub Jankuski. It was 18-7 at halftime and Reed-Custer kept chipping away in the final two quarters.
But Harrod’s 1-yard scoring run in the third quarter gave the Panthers just enough of a cushion to prevail.
“It definitely was not a clean game for us, especially offensively,” Haines said.
But the Panthers got the job done in the end.
“Defensively, the thing was not giving up big plays,” Haines said. “Offensively, it was hard for us to sustain drives. We’re short some dudes, had to shuffle (some players) around, had some kids playing out of position.”
Harrod ran 18 times for 72 yards and Nick Honkisz had 42 yards on 10 carries. Harrod was 4-of-14 passing for 135 yards and a TD with one interception.
“Connor is a three-year starter,” Haines said of Harrod. “The game is much slower for him than probably a lot of other quarterbacks. He makes good decisions and he stays on his feet for so dang long.”
Jankuski had two catches for 94 yards and a TD, while Briggs Cann caught one pass for 27 yards.
“Kalub has really come a long way,” Haines said of the 6-3, 170-pounder. “He’s got good size, great hands.”
The Panthers have a tough test this week, going to perennial power Wilmington for a 7 p.m. game on Sept. 26.
Crete-Monee 41, Thornwood 6: Derrin Couch was 14-of-20 passing for 159 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions as the Warriors (2-2, 2-0 Southland) rolled to the home win. Couch also had four carries for 40 yards and a TD.
Dorian Patterson had six catches for 65 yards, Jeremiah Stonewall caught three passes for 47 yards and Dominic Jackson had two receptions for 8 yards and a pair of TDs.
Patterson added an interception and 35 yards on two punt returns, while Karion Young also picked off a pass.
Crete travels to Danville for a nonconference game on Sept. 26. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Peotone 1, Lisle 0: With Lisle playing only a JV schedule this season as it rebuilds its program, the Blue Devils (2-2, 1-1 ICE) picked up a forfeit win.
Peotone hosts Streator at 6 p.m. on Sept. 26,