Burlington Central’s Joey Kowall has heard of the phenomenon when a player sees a perfect hole open up.

People call it different things, but the sensation is the same — there’s nothing but grain grass in front of you.

“It’s like the promised land,” Kowall said. “Boom, hit it and go.”

That’s what the senior running back saw Friday night on his game-winning 32-yard touchdown run during a 35-21 Fox Valley Conference victory at Crystal Lake South.

It was one of four TD runs for Kowall, who finished with 117 yards on 14 carries in leading the Rockets (2-1, 2-1) to a second straight win.

“We checked to an outside zone,” Kowall said. “I took it, and one of the guards on the back side made a great block to hold off the play. There was a seam right up the middle.

“It feels great. I’m just trying to get into the end zone. I see it, there’s no one in my way that’s going to stop me.”

Burlington Central coach Brian Iossi thought Kowall got the ball even more than 14 times until he saw the stat sheet, but his impact was no less dynamic.

“He’s a grinding running back,” Iossi said. “He’s not the biggest kid in the world. He’s not the fastest kid. He’s a smart running back.

“He sees the hole really well. He’s got good speed, and he listens. He’s coachable. He’s just a good athlete.”

Kowall has bounced between running back and receiver in his career before settling this season into the lead back role. He said he’s just looking for positive yardage every time he touches the ball.

“Get that ball, look where the hole is and stick your head in and go, get those three or four yards,” Kowall said. “Even if you don’t get that big play every time, just stick your head down and keep going. Get the job done.”

That mentality served the Rockets well Friday when starting quarterback Jackson Alcorn went down with an injury.

Backup Ryder Bergemann stepped in and performed well, completing 12 of 19 passes for 197 yards and a TD. He didn’t have to come in and be the savior, however, with Kowall in command.

“It was a great help,” Bergemann said. “Him running the ball as well as he did opened up a lot of things. Not only did it take pressure off me but our passing game was a lot more open.

“The defense was trying to change stuff just for him because he was running the ball tough.”

Iossi believes either Alcorn or Bergemann could be the starter, so when the adjustment was made midstream, it didn’t feel like a lesser option was entering the game.

“He just did a phenomenal job,” Iossi said of Bergemann. “I’ve said it since the day both of these two came in that I have two really good quarterbacks. We could go either way with it.

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“It was Ryder that got the call this time, and he stepped up to the plate.”

Iossi wouldn’t commit to a starter for Saturday’s game at Crystal Lake Central.

Kowall knows any conference win is important, so he was happy to provide the big points.

“It’s a huge win,” Kowall said. “It’s not even about me. I just care about the win. If it was Ryder that took off and scored, I’d be just as happy.”

With the meat of the schedule at the back end of the season, Kowall wants to keep the train rolling.

“Every team we’re looking at, they’re the best team, we need to go 1-0,” Kowall said. “When everyone does their job, we’re good.”

Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.