AMBOY – There was a goal to accomplish.

The Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio football team wanted to prove it could have a strong start and take over a game from the opening kickoff to the final horn without a blemish.

The Clippers completed their mission with flying colors as they defeated Peoria Heights, 68-0, in a Week 7 Illinois 8-Man Football West Conference contest.

“It was a good game and a good performance from the kids. It was a good confidence builder before we go to Biggsville to play West Central this Friday,” Clippers coach Scott Payne said. “We jumped on Peoria Heights right away. On the first play of the game, we scored on a 34-yard pass from Eddie Jones to Caleb Yanos. Then we came out and stopped them on four downs. Then it was a long touchdown from Quinn Leffelman.

“We jumped on them right away and kept it going to build a big lead and the win.”

The Clippers’ running game has proven what it can do all year, and so has the passing game.

Jones has been the perfect diversion for Amboy (6-1) to throw defenses off of the ground game completing passes when asked. The senior was 2-of-2 for 45 yards and two touchdowns, bought caught by Yanos, against the Patriots (2-5). Jones also had a 30-yard rushing touchdown.

“The passing game has helped our running game. When you have the ability to throw the ball, it loosens up the defense,” Payne said. “They can’t just concentrate on stopping the run game. Eddie Jones has done a great job of distributing the ball to different guys. Senior Caleb Yanos is a really good receiver and has been a top target. He does a good job of getting open.”

Leffelman rushed for 36 yards and two touchdowns on six attempts, senior Ed Fry finished with 59 yards and a score on two carries, senior Brayden Klein found the end zone once and gained 51 yards on three attempts, senior Tyler Huggins rushed five times to tally 20 yards and a touchdown, and senior Josh McKendry had 33 yards on five carries.

There can’t be a shutout victory in football without both sides of the ball playing well.

The defense handled their side of the ball limiting the number of times Peoria Heights moved the chains.

“The defense played really well. We shut down the Peoria Heights running game. We held them to 19 rushing yards,” Payne said. “That’s always a positive when your defense can do that to an opponent’s running game. We forced a few turnovers in an interception and a fumble. Sophomore Jose Lopez had an interception he returned for a touchdown and Dillon Merriman recovered a fumble inside the 20-yard line.”

With Week 7 in the rearview mirror, the Clippers take to the road to play West Central in Biggsville at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18.

The last time A-L-O faced West Central, it lost to the Heat in the 2022 Illinois 8-Man Football championship.

“We didn’t get to play West Central at all last year. The previous two seasons, we played them four times,” Payne said. “The rivalry with West Central will get rekindled this week. They’re a very good football team.

“They do a good job of running the ball with three different backs. It’s going to be a difficult offense to slow down.”