PLANO -- Seneca varsity high school football coach Don Brown knew he had a tough task coming into Friday night's game at Plano. Facing the No. 2 ranked team in Illinois Class 3A football, the Irish were looking at an uphill battle against a Reaper defensive unit that had only allowed 14 points over the first three weeks of play.

Unfortunately for Seneca, once again Plano proved to many why it may ultimately be the cream of the crop not only in the Interstate Eight Conference, but overall in 3A.

On opening night in I-8 Small School division play, the Reapers used a stifling defense and a balanced offensive attack to shut out the Irish 34-0 at Reaper Stadium.

"That's a heck of a defense they've got. They're going to be tough to beat this year because they are so quick," Brown said. "I told the kids that we did some good things offensively, but overall we just couldn't move the ball."

Plano moved the ball from the first series. On the third play from scrimmage, senior running back Jared Ferguson took the handoff from quarterback Brook Bott and rambled 53 yards for the touchdown. Sophomore kicker Kevin Jernigan knocked home the point after boot, and Plano led 7-0 with only 1 minute, 11 seconds off the clock.

"Just like last week on the first series when I scored against Reed-Custer it was a perfect setup with a perfect handoff, perfect fakes, perfect hole, and perfect move at the end," Ferguson said. Ferguson's modesty aside, the Reapers did execute "perfectly" on the first series but stalled a bit offensively without senior standout running back Nick Nasti, who played limited minutes in the first quarter nursing a sprained ankle.

But it was the Plano defense that held Seneca at bay in the opening period, which ended with the Reapers up 7-0. That defense helped Plano get on the board again in the second quarter. With the Irish actually moving the ball for the first time, quarterback Jaret Trager hit wideout Griffin Callahan with a pass at midfield. Callahan received a vicious hit by Reaper linebacker Robbie LeMaster that jarred the ball loose. Plano junior Luis Alvarado scooped the ball up and scampered 24 yards to set up the next Reaper touchdown.

On third and seven from the Seneca eight, Nasti made his presence felt for the first time in the game with an eight-yard touchdown gallop. Jernigan's kick was good once again and Plano led 14-0 with 3:13 to go in the quarter.

"I didn't feel 100 percent tonight that's for sure. But I just tried to do what I could," Nasti said.

Despite the sore ankle, Nasti produced nice numbers on the night in limited minutes on the field, grinding out 111 yards on 13 carries to lead the Reapers in rushing.

Plano would take a 14-0 lead into the locker room at the half and then extended the advantage in the third period to 20-0 on Jernigan's field goals of 30 and 35 yards.

"It was good for Kevin (Jernigan) to get a couple of opportunities to help us in the third quarter. He's a great kicker and he showed why he'll be able to help us somewhere down the line in a tight situation," said Plano head football coach Jim Green.

With the Reapers up 20-0 late in the third period, their defense produced another turnover off a Seneca miscue. On third down Trager's pass was tipped by Plano linebacker Danny Peruski and intercepted by Reaper corner Josh O'Hara. The period ended with the same 20-0 score, but Plano was in command.

After holding Seneca on hits first series of the fourth quarter, the Reapers scored again. The three-play, 63-yard drive culminated on an 11-yard touchdown run at 7:30 by Alvarado who also eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark on the night with 102 yards on 10 carries.

"I knew I had to step it up tonight because I didn't know whether Nick would be able to play. We were surprised to have him in there, but I still felt I needed to produce tonight," Alvarado said.

Two minutes later Bott scores on a two-yard touchdown run after Plano senior Steve Eaves recovered a Seneca fumble off the kickoff.

Plano dominated overall offense with 413 yards to Seneca's 140. While the Reapers rushed for 363, the Irish could only manage 45 against the stingy Plano defense. Seneca produced only six first downs on the night.

"We had a couple of turnovers that hurt us tonight, but overall I'm proud of our effort against such a great team," Brown said. "Last year they beat us here 56-0 and I walked out of this place not knowing where we were going. But I think we asserted ourselves well against just a great ballclub and we should be proud of that."

With the win Plano raises its record to 4-0 and 1-0 in the I-8 Small School league, while Seneca falls to 0-4 and 0-1.

Plano (4-0, 1-0) 7 7 6 14 -- 34

Seneca (0-4, 0-1) 0 0 0 0 -- 0

First Quarter

P -- Ferguson 53 yard run (Jernigan kick), 10:43, 7-0.

Second Quarter

P -- Nasti 7 yard run (Jernigan kick), 3:13, 14.

Third Quarter

P -- Jernigan 30 yard field goal, 8:45, 17-0.

P -- Jernigan 34 yard field goal, 4:37, 20-0.

Fourth Quarter

P -- Alverado 12 yard run (Jernigan kick), 7:30, 27-0.

P -- Bott 2 yard run (Jernigan kick), 5:30, 34-0.

-- -- --

P S

First Downs 16 6

Rushes-yards 383 45

Passing 50 95

Total Offense 413 140

Comp-Att-Int 4-9 7-18

Punts/Ave 2-38 3-25.7

Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-2

Penalties-Yards 11-105 3-20

-- -- --

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- P: Nasti 13-111, Alverado 10-102, Ferguson 3-61, Green 2-46, Schimandle 4-22, Haws 1-16, Wright 1-3, Bott 11-2. S: Hobbs 6-23, Ugolini 11-17, Maiehofer 6-8, Trager 3-7, Schumaker 1-1, Humphreys 1--11.

PASSING (Comp-Att-TD-INT-Yds.) -- P: Bott 4-9-0-0-50 S: Trager 7-18-0-1-95.

RECEIVING -- P: Wright 2-23, Smith 1-15, Nelson 1-12. S: Callahan 4-64, Hobbs 3-31.