Glenbard S. Raiders dethrone King

Glenbard South senior Mike Oratowski acted as if he was dreaming.

Then again, the Raiders put in a fantasy-like performance in Friday's 41-0 Class 6A playoff football victory against Chicago's King in front of the home fans.

"Ah, it's a good feeling," said the running back/linebacker, noting the team's first shutout of the season.

How dominating were the Raiders in all phases of the game? In the third quarter King never got the ball past the midfield, even on punts or incomplete passes.

The Jaguars (6-4) made no excuses for the loss, not even the rain that fell throughout most of the game.

"Not at all," King coach Lonnie Williams said. "It didn't affect us. They just whupped us. We lost early. Our kids made some key mistakes early in the ballgame. …

"That's just the way it is. They just had a better team."

The Raiders scored on their first possession when junior quarterback Kevin Marshall ended a 6-play drive with a 45-yard keeper down the right sideline for a touchdown.

"Marshall, the first series with the touchdown run got us off to a good start. It was fun to watch him run," Oratowski said.

"Kevin's done a good job directing our offense all year," coach Dan Starkey said of Marshall, "and it was set up by our other guys running good fakes. That's the way our offense works, if everybody works hard it's hard to tell where the ball is at."

The Raiders scored on their second possession also, with Marshall passing to Chris Loos for an 11-yard score.

The Raiders' only dash with reality came on their third possession, when an Oratowski fumble ended a drive on the King 9-yard line. He was still shaking his head about it after the game.

"I should have had like 3 touchdowns," Oratowski said. "But the line always blocks good. … The line blocked amazing."

If the Jaguars struggled to stop Glenbard South in the first half, they found it downright disheartening in the second. Oratowski reached the end zone twice by the 7:50 mark of the third quarter, on a 3-play drive and a 2-play drive.

King had problems all night in its punting game, having one blocked and watching Will Hill return another 39 yards to the 8-yard line.

"We need special teams to be a big factor, and we don't think they worked a lot on it," Oratowski said.

The Raiders will travel to top-seeded Richards next weekend for a second-round game. Richards beat Vernon Hills 35-13 Friday.