Glenbard South better the second time
Just like in the movies, this sequel wasn't nearly as entertaining as the original, but that was just fine with Glenbard South.
The Raiders dominated Saturday afternoon's Class 6A first-round football playoff game, routing visiting Riverside-Brookfield 31-7. This victory was much easier than Week 9's 38-34 win against their Metro Suburban West rival, when the Raiders needed Jack Curtis' touchdown reception with 2.9 seconds to play to defeat the Bulldogs.
"No, I do not feel like it's a surprise," Raiders senior offensive lineman Larry Conn said of the comparison from this week's easy victory to last week's thriller. "I feel like we came back and tightened up our offense and defense and did what we needed to do. We played well as a team in the collective."
"They're a playoff team and they've been down this road," Bulldogs coach Brendan Curtin said. "They've been in this situation before. They know the sense of urgency and the elevation of speed in a playoff game. They made some plays. They played well on both sides of the ball in the trenches, whereas we did not perform that well in the trenches."
The Raiders offense set the tone with its first possession, going 52 yards in five plays, taking a 7-0 lead on sophomore running back Sean Cooke's 16-yard TD run.
Andre Steiger added a 22-yard field goal to cap the next possession for a 10-0 lead that the fifth-seeded Raiders (8-2) still held at halftime.
"We felt confident, but we never underestimated them," Conn said. "We knew what we had to do, we knew they were a great football team, but we outplayed them."
Meanwhile, the Raiders defense stopped the Bulldogs cold. Senior Andrew Wrona grabbed 2 interceptions, and Curtis and junior Jimmy Ebbole each added 1. The Raiders also forced 4 Bulldogs fumbles, recovering 2, including Dillon Valdez's 50-yard fumble return for a third-quarter touchdown.
The 12th-seeded Bulldogs never did get their running game going, finishing the game with just 14 yards on the ground.
"They were able to contain (Bulldogs senior running back Matt) Chapp, obviously, and he's our go-to guy," Curtin said. "They shut him down early, so we tried to go outside. Their pass rush was able to be effective. We just didn't have an answer for it."
Ebbole and linebacker Jake Kapp missed last week's game, but they made their presence felt Saturday.
"They make a huge contribution to the team, offensive and defensive," Conn said, "and it makes a big difference having everybody back together."
Glenbard South finished off Riverside-Brookfield (6-4) in the fourth quarter. Billy Bair was wide open when he caught Kyle Carli's 26-yard touchdown pass to make the score 24-0. Curtis added an 11-yard TD run with 6:53 to play as the Raiders went ahead 31-0.
Riverside-Brookfield scored its only touchdown with 2:19 left in the game against the Raiders' reserves.
Glenbard South, riding an eight-game winning streak, will play at No. 13 seed Lake Forest next Saturday.