Nov. 27--A pair of cousins lifted Arcola to its greatest height in a generation.
Clayton and Chase Strader made big plays in all three phases to lead the Purple Riders to a 35-17 win against Stark County in the Class 1A championship Friday at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb.
The title is Arcola's fourth and first since 1988. The Riders also prevailed in 1978 and 1985.
"Our fans are all about the tradition," senior quarterback Clayton Strader said. "It means the world to bring the title back to town."
Clayton Strader accounted for four of Arcola's five touchdowns with runs of 13 and 5 yards and scoring passes of 27 and 3. He rushed for 94 yards on 23 carries.
Chase Strader, his first cousin, returned an interception 15 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter, bringing Arcola (14-0) within 7-6. The senior linebacker also recovered a muffed punt in the second quarter that led to a touchdown. Another Strader, Clayton's brother Conner, started at safety and had two tackles.
"The whole team's a family," Clayton Strader said, "but we're even closer. We'll be able to share this the rest of our lives."
Stark County (13-1) struck first, ending the game's first drive with an 11-yard Chase Johnston TD run. The Rebels fell behind 21-7 before Karl Wallander's 33-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
The Rebels averaged 132 passing yards in their first 13 games, but were held to 28 by Arcola. Starting QB John Groter left the game with a second-quarter knee injury and did not return. He, Lucas Wisnefski and Cade Tuthill combined to go 3-for-9 with two interceptions.
"When John got hurt that took a big chunk of our offense away," Stark County coach Jade Noard said. "Offensively, we just didn't have enough to keep up with them."
Stark County gained 171 rushing yards, but all three of its turnovers turned into Arcola touchdowns.
Stark County fell to 0-3 in state title games, also finishing second in 1997 and 2008.
wlarkin@tribpub.com
Player of the game: Clayton Strader, Arcola, 94 rushing yards, 2 TDs, 37 passing yards, 2 TDs.
Key performers: Arcola -- Chase Strader, 15-yard INT return TD, fumble recovery; Wyatt Fishel, 101 rushing yards; Cole Hutton, 11 tackles. Stark County -- Chase Johnston, 112 rushing yards, TD; Keith Ehnle, 12 tackles.
