Glenbard South defense earning name for itself

Glenbard South's offense flashed its trademark explosiveness in last week's win over Rochelle.

Lost in the shuffle, though, was another solid effort from an improving defense. With both sides of the ball thriving, the Raiders are confident as they vie for a second straight state quarterfinal berth.

Glenbard South (8-2), third-seeded in its Class 5A bracket, plays host to No. 6 Vernon Hills (8-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday in a second-round matchup.

"The way we've played defense the last couple of weeks, it's really the way we've wanted to see it turn out," said Raiders coach Dan Starkey. "We're playing our best ball."

The Raiders knew they could rely on defensive lineman Austin Teitsma, but the emergence of Pat Childs and sophomore Zack Lawler made the unit even tougher up front. Experience from linebackers Nick Slezak and Brian Duffy complements the secondary experience of Connor Douglas and Dan Parks.

After a tremendous effort holding Rochelle under 200 total yards, they'll need to bottle up a Vernon Hills offense that rushed for 265 yards in its first-round win over Brooks.

Among the top athletes for the Cougars are receivers DaVaris Daniels, son of Washington Redskins defensive lineman Phillip Daniels, and Evan Spencer, the son of Chicago Bears running backs coach Tim Spencer.

The challenge for Vernon Hills, meanwhile, will be just as stiff contending with Raiders quarterback Trace Wanless, who has thrown for 1,329 yards and rushed for 1,039 while accounting for 26 touchdowns. Slezak, Douglas and Mike Rovansek all play a part in Glenbard South's quick-strike offense.

Both teams appear capable of lighting up the scoreboard, but don't be surprised if defense has the final say.

"We need to handle their speed in the open field, and we need to keep playing as well as we have offensively," Starkey said. "It's a matter of which defense plays the best."