After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Greenville, The Southwestern Piasa Birds were happy to have found some success on Friday. They took their match at home with ease, bagging a 35-7 victory over Hillsboro. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 21-0.
Southwestern's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Blake Rimbey, who rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries, and also threw for 84 yards and a touchdown while completing 80% of his passes. Another player making a difference was Rocky Darr, who gained 102 total yards and two touchdowns.
Southwestern's win was their third straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 5-4. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 27.0 points per game. As for Hillsboro, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-6.
Southwestern will head out on the road to face off against Athens at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Athens presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Southwestern in Illinois (Athens is ranked 110th, while Southwestern is ranked 327th). Hillsboro does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
