Forget the heat wave gripping much of the country. It has nothing on the surface temperature on the Peoria Stadium turf in Illinois, where a pair of Illinois high schools combined to score 148 points in a wild, defense-optional shootout.
RELATED: ALL-USA Preseason Offensive Football Team
In the end, Peoria topped Bloomington 94-54 in Peoria Stadium, riding the waves of an overpowering Peoria offense and the inevitable defensive letdown that follows a big lead.
As reported by the Pantagraph, Peoria’s offensive outburst didn’t arrive without warning; the Lions are the reigning Illinois Class 5A state champs and averaged nearly 60 points-per-game in 2016. Against Bloomington they scored on 13 of 15 possessions.
American Family Insurance ALL-USA Preseason running back Geno Hess gaining 256 yards and four touchdowns on just 15 carries, adding a fifth touchdown on the screen pass you see below.
“We got a couple of stops there when we really needed it and that kind of turned it for us,” Peoria coach Tim Thornton told the Pantagraph. “I was real proud of our guys. They continue to make strides every week.”
Those strides certainly aren’t limited to the defense. The Lions’ 499 yards rushing and 287 yards through the air were a testament to that.