Raiders don't go down easy
Facing a program that boasts two state titles, 10 undefeated regular seasons -- heck, a football field named after its coach -- Glenbard South knew what it was up against Friday at Richards.
"They're obviously used to winning in the playoffs," Glenbard South coach Dan Starkey said. "We're kind of the new kids on the block."
Starkey's kids weren't kicked to the curb easy.
Richards needed two time-consuming drives in the second half to pull away for a 36-19 win in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs in Oak Lawn.
The Bulldogs (11-0) looked every bit the bully from the south suburbs early on.
Lamar Harvey scored on a 33-yard touchdown on the game's first play from scrimmage, and Richards turned 2 Glenbard South interceptions into scores for a 20-0 lead less than a quarter in.
But Mike Oratowski finally gave the Glenbard South faithful something to cheer about in the first minute of the second quarter, ripping off a 51-yard touchdown run.
After Louis Erkins intercepted Richards quarterback Tommie Thomas in the closing minutes of the first half, Glenbard South quarterback Kevin Marshall scrambled for a 9-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal, and the Raiders charged into the half down just 20-13.
"They had us on the run," Richards coach Gary Korhonen said.
Sensing a surge toward the other side, Richards went back to basics to suck the momentum back.
Taking the ball at their 21 with 8:27 left in the third, the Bulldogs went on a 13-play drive -- all runs -- that took 7:10 off the clock.
Harvey's second effort gave Richards a first down on fourth-and-short at the Glenbard South 25, and he scored on the next play on a pitch around right end for a 28-13 lead. Richards earlier converted twice on third down.
"We just couldn't get that big stop when we needed to," Starkey said.
Thomas, who passed for 149 yards and ran for 49 more, later added a 2-yard touchdown run for Richards.
"We knew we had to score some points and take some minutes off the clock," said Harvey, who ran for 153 yards on 26 carries. "We didn't want this to be the end."
"Our offensive line took over," Korhonen said.
Glenbard South (7-4) scored in the fourth quarter on Marshall's 50-yard touchdown pass to Jon Holland.
Oratowski ran for 94 yards on 13 carries. Marshall completed 8 of 11 passes for 113 yards. A junior, he will be one of 34 players back next year.
"Hopefully, this experience will help us," Starkey said. "We have a lot to build on."