Glenbard South gets it done with 14-7 win

Whoever that was in the first half, it sure didn't look like Glenbard South's football team.

The Raiders, though, showed up just in time to book their ticket to the Class 6A quarterfinals.

By rallying for a 14-7 victory over Hubbard Saturday night at Chicago's Gately Stadium, Glenbard South advances to the round of eight for the first time since 1999.

A 31-yard touchdown pass from Trace Wanless to Louis Erkins early in the fourth quarter gave the Raiders their margin of victory. With the defense purring at peak performance, Hubbard didn't make it across midfield the rest of the game.

The No. 6 Raiders (9-2) will play No. 2 Antioch (11-0), a 35-34 winner over Highland Park, next weekend in Glen Ellyn with a semifinal berth on the line.

"We have great leaders, and our seniors really got us up for the second half," said Raiders junior Austin Teitsma. "We just played our hearts out."

Managing only 3 first downs and 54 yards of offense in the first half, the Raiders fell into a 7-0 second-quarter deficit against the No. 3 Greyhounds (8-3) when William Taylor, who rushed for 79 yards, scored on a 1-yard run.

The touchdown capped an 11-play drive as Hubbard piled up 115 yards rushing yards in the first half.

The Raiders, though, put on the defensive clamps for the second half. They held Hubbard, which had no passing yards on only three attempts on the night, to 9 total yards.

The defense also notched 4 second-half sacks.

"I think it was just going to be a matter of time," said Raiders coach Dan Starkey. "We kind of wore them down a little bit. Our kids played with a lot of heart in the second half."

Glenbard South tied the game late in the third quarter, sparked by a roughing the punter penalty against the Greyhounds early in the drive.

The Raiders marched 76 yards in 8 plays after the penalty, with running back Curtis Ford rushing for 41 of his 61 yards on the night. Ford capped the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run.

Wanless proved critical in the second half as well. After ending the first half with an interception, he completed his last 6 attempts and finished with 122 passing yards.

"We were sluggish in the first half," Wanless said. "We're a second-half team, and luckily we came out and did what we needed to do."