Glenbard South slogs through rain for win
Patience and football go together like anchovy pizza and breakfast, but Glenbard South was rewarded for its patience Friday night in Glenbard South.
Despite three first-quarter delays due to lightning, the Raiders pushed past Sycamore for a 13-0 Western Sun Conference victory in the regular-season finale. It was the Raiders' fifth consecutive win.
With a 7-2 record, 6-1 in the conference, the Raiders are hoping their chewed-up field can host a Class 6A playoff game next week. They'll find out tonight if it's so.
"I'm just excited our kids, just battled in all three phases of the game," Raiders coach Dan Starkey said. "It wasn't perfect. It was sloppy. With the three delays we just tried to keep our kids focused in the locker room, keep it together and stay focused on Sycamore. Give a lot of credit to our seniors for keeping all the younger kids focused on Sycamore. Now we've just got to come out for the second season and make something happen next week."
The Raiders scored on their first possession, going 51 yards in five plays. The drive ended with Trace Wanless' 20-yard touchdown pass to Louis Erkins with 10:06 left in the first quarter.
It took more than hour to play the next minute.
The Raiders got their second touchdown late in the first quarter, Wanless connecting with Jon Holland on a 33-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-13.
Holland left the game at halftime with an injured ankle.
From there the teams tried to slug it out on the ground, the constant rain making passing very difficult.
That showed in the waning minutes of the game when Sycamore tried to make up points in a hurry. The Spartans drove to the Glenbard South 35-yard line, but on third-and-6 Erkins picked off a Sycamore pass with 3:06 to play. When Nick Slezak broke free for 38 yards on the next play, then Mike Williams bulled his way to a first down over the next three carries, the Raiders had the shutout, their first of the season.
The loss means Sycamore (4-5, 2-5) will not reach the playoffs.