MAPLE PARK – For a football team that prefers to deflect – not deal with – hype, Kaneland could do little to shake the hoopla that swarmed Peterson Field on Friday night.

A meeting of unbeatens to decide the Northern Illinois Big 12 East title started and ended with Kaneland and Morris trading big plays and big stops. The Knights recorded the last of both in a 33-30 victory.

“That’s just so intense,” Knights senior linebacker Ryan Lawrence said. “Both great teams. We practiced our hearts out this week, and for it to come out like this, it’s the best feeling in the world, you know.”