Olney is once again in the driver’s seat in the Little Illini Conference football race. The Tigers escaped Casey-Westfield, 28-27, on Friday night to clinch at least a tie for the league title. At least three other LIC teams are still in the running for a playoff spot with one week remaining in the regular season. Here’s what happened over the weekend:

Olney (6-0, 8-0) 28, #4 1A Casey-Westfield (5-1, 7-1) 27
Olney rallied in the fourth quarter to take the lead for good, yet it was all the Tigers could do to nail down a wild 28-27 win over Casey-Westfield in a Little Illini Conference battle of unbeatens. Olney QB Gavyn Cothern scored on a 14-yard run with exactly four minutes left to put the Tigers ahead, 27-21. Owen Kocher kicked what proved to be a game-winning PAT to make it 28-21. But this dual was far from over. Casey-Westfield responded immediately, as QB Nolan Clement hit WR Jack Julius with a 74-yard TD pass only 57 seconds later. The Warriors elected to go for the lead with a two-point conversion, but RB Kellen Sullivan was stopped short of the goal line, and Olney’s 28-27 lead was left intact. On the ensuing possession though, Cothern had the ball stripped away, a fumble that Casey-Westfield recovered at their own 42-yard line with 2:55 remaining. But, the Warrior offense turned it over on downs and Olney could finally celebrate its’ 17th consecutive regular-season victory. The two teams mirrored one another, statistically. Casey-Westfield finished with 381 total yards (265 yards rushing, 116 passing) to Olney’s 368 (271 rushing, 97 passing). Cothern finished game-high with 182 yards on 23 carries (two TDs), while Clement was tops in the air (4-of-11 for 116 yards and one TD).

Newton 34 (2-4, 3-5), Lawrenceville (0-6, 1-7) 20
A 50-yard pic-6 by Dexter Fulton put Newton ahead to stay in the second quarter and the Eagles took it from there to post a 34-20 LIC win over Lawrenceville. Fulton’s interception of a Blayton Gossett pass put the Eagles ahead before halftime, 20-13. Then, a 43-yard pass from QB Hayden Mulvey to WR Jacob Oldham in the third quarter extended the Newton lead to 27-13. Mulvey finished the day 18-of-31 in the air for 186 yards and that one touchdown pass. RB Quincy Fulton led the winners on the ground with 77 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. Newton has now won two in a row. Lawrenceville QB Gossett was 10-of-18 for 125 yards, while RB Zander Cessna rushed for 97 yards and one TD on 13 carries.

Mt. Carmel (4-2, 4-4) 35, Marshall (2-4, 4-4) 0
Mt. Carmel’s defense held Marshall to 187 total yards in a 35-0 LIC victory, which kept the Golden Aces playoff hopes alive. Marshall, too, must now play its’ way onto the bubble after the loss. Both teams need to win next week to get in. RB Jackson Kling scored three touchdowns to lead the Aces. RB Elliott Acree rushed for 117 yards on 14 carries and one TD. QB River Deisher was 9-of-12 in the air for 71 yards and one 14-yard scoring pass to Jack Webb. Marshall RB Lucca Giannavola was held to 65 yards but he did go past the 2,400-yard career mark. The Aces shutout was the first by an LIC team since Paris blanked North Vermillion, Ind., 57-0, on opening night.

Paris (3-3, 5-3) 41, Robinson (2-4, 3-5) 18
Paris clinched a playoff berth for the ninth time in school history with a 41-19 LIC win over Robinson.  The Tigers, who led 25-6 at the half, powered for 469 yards on the ground. RB Carter Crippes alone picked up 285 yards on 26 carries. Paris threw only three passes all night. Robinson QB Reese Johnson had his biggest passing night of the season, going 11-of-25 in the air for 235 yards and one touchdown. . Johnson is within 22 yards of eclipsing the 1,000-yard passing mark for the third straight year. He is also 135 yards away from the 4,000-yard mark for his career. Johnson has thrown for 46 touchdowns in his career.

This story will be updated as more information is gathered. Some of the statistics used are unofficial.