Glenbard S. make plays when they have to

It was one of those funny plays that happens sometimes in high school football.

Only Rochelle wasn't laughing, either about that third-quarter play or the Hubs' 24-12 loss to Glenbard South on Friday night in Glen Ellyn.

After the Glenbard South defense stopped Rochelle at the Raiders' 1-yard line, Raiders quarterback Trace Wanless dropped back to pass on third-and-8 from the 3. The Hubs' pass rush caught Wanless deep in his own end zone, and as he was going to the ground in the arms of a defender he saw running back Curtis Ford behind him. Wanless passed backward to Ford, standing 8 yards deep in the end zone, and Ford somehow made his way out to the 20 for a key first down.

"That was huge. That was a wild play," said Raiders senior defensive back Kyle Slott. "That was the best play I think I've seen all season, to tell you the truth."

"I got outside and ran my full speed. ... I was just there at the right time," Ford added.

Eight plays later, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Wanless found wide receiver Jon Holland for a 43-yard touchdown pass to give the Raiders a 17-0 lead. Just as important as the points, however, was the six minutes the Raiders defense sat on the bench during the drive, getting a much-needed rest from a bruising Rochelle rushing attack.

"I was talking to the guys on the sideline, saying that was huge," Slott said. "That was the thing we needed. It helped us out a lot, chewed up a lot of time on the clock. That's what kept us in the game, what kept us ahead.

"Was that the one where we had the crazy play?" Raiders coach Dan Starkey said when asked about the drive. "That's Trace. He's a junior and he's able to improvise there, and get the ball to Curtis. That was huge, getting us out of a hole being backed up there, because if we have to punt out of there, they're going to get the ball in great field position. That was just a huge drive."

The victory ensures a playoff berth for the Raiders (6-2, 5-1 Western Sun Conference). Rochelle (4-4, 2-4) needs a win next week to have a chance.

"I was really proud of the (three) goal-line stands that we had," Starkey said. "It was just a great team victory in all phases of the game. I know it's a cliche, but offensively we really moved the ball and picked up some big third downs, and that really helped us defensively to be able to get some stops."