Like it or not, Glenbard South gets Riverside-Brookfield again

Again?

That pretty much sums up Glenbard South's reaction to the IHSA playoff football pairings announced Saturday night. The day after beating Riverside-Brookfield in a winner-take-all showdown for the Metro Suburban Conference West Division title, the Raiders learned they'd be facing the Bulldogs again this week in the opening round of the Class 6A playoffs.

“When you think of all the possibilities with matchups, it was definitely surprising,” said Glenbard South coach Jeremy Cordell. “It was kind of a shocker.”

Also surprising was Glenbard South's vault into Class 6A. Even though the Raiders spent eight of their 10 previous playoff appearances in 6A, last year's drop to 5A led them to think they'd be returning to the smaller class.

Not that it matters to Glenbard South, which improved to 7-2 with its seventh straight victory. Friday's win allowed the Raiders, the smallest school in the 6A field, to earn a No. 5 seed and a home game in the 16-team northern bracket, while the loss dropped Riverside-Brookfield (6-3) to the No. 12 seed and a 1 p.m. Saturday return trip to Glen Ellyn.

“It's not ideal,” Cordell said. “We didn't expect to be 6A, and then seeing it's them again. But it's still exciting. No matter who we face, it's exciting to be in the playoffs.”

If Friday's game was any indication, Saturday's rematch should be a doozy. Glenbard South pulled out a 38-34 thriller when quarterback Kyle Carli threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jack Curtis with only 2.9 seconds left in the game.

As it turns out, that fantastic finish was just a warm-up for Saturday's main event.

“We're looking forward to it,” Cordell said. “It should be another great game.”

Patience makes perfect:

After Waubonsie Valley quarterback Zack Bennema passed for 260 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 35-28 win over Neuqua Valley in Week 8, Waubonsie Valley coach Paul Murphy said he'd been “sandbagging” on the Warriors passing game.

In practice he wasn't sandbagging.

“We were throwing more passes in practice than we were running,” Murphy said. “The kids asked, why aren't we passing? I said just be patient. Pretty much I said, 'Trust me.'”

He'd been waiting for several things to come together, including timing on pass plays and a young offensive line of left tackle Brandon Petersen, left guard Drew Kulikowski, center Tyler Caldwell, right guard Bailey Burns and right tackle Quinton Zielke, three of whom are juniors.

Through seven games the Warriors' passing game topped out at 77 yards against Metea Valley. The last two weeks Bennema has thrown for 260 and 168 yards with 6 total touchdowns and 1 interception.

“You get it to where we wanted it to be, and when you've got it to where you want it to be then you can start using it,” Murphy explained of the passing game.

Bouncing back:

After a season-opening loss to Waubonsie Valley, Naperville Central (7-2) spent the next seven weeks building itself back to the caliber of a team capable of defending the Class 8A championship.

Then last week happened.

Wheaton Warrenville South claimed a stunning 27-20 victory over the Redhawks when the Tigers' Jonathan Johnson fumbled in the final minute, only to see teammate Keishawn Watson pick up the ball and sprint nearly 80 yards for the game-winning touchdown. Not exactly the way Naperville Central wanted to enter the postseason, but it didn't take long to move on.

“That game is done,” said Redhawks coach Mike Stine. “Now it's a new season.”

There were plenty of distractions from the heartbreaking loss, including a Saturday morning junior varsity game. Saturday night the Redhawks learned they'd begin their title defense as the No. 4 seed in an eight-team Class 8A quadrant and face No. 5 Brother Rice (6-3). They'll play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Memorial Stadium.

The Redhawks' coaching staff immediately began game preparation by gathering film and information about the Crusaders, and several players came to Naperville Central on Sunday to look at film.

Naperville Central's resiliency isn't a surprise. The Redhawks lost three straight games near the end of last season before winning six straight en route to the state title.

“Last Friday seems like a month ago,” Stine said. “That 36-hour period is just a whirlwind. They know how to bounce back.”

Prepped:

For the first time in seven appearances since 2001 — when the IHSA boosted the playoff field to eight classes — Benet will participate in Class 8A.

Consider the Redwings (6-3) ready for the challenge as they face a first-round matchup at 2 p.m. Saturday at Hinsdale Central.

“I'm kind of excited about it, playing in the biggest venues against the biggest schools,” said Benet coach Pat New. “Both 7A and 8A have great teams. It'll be interesting to see how we do.”

New stressed that nothing prepares his team better than competing in the East Suburban Catholic Conference. Not only did the ESCC put six of its 10 teams in the playoffs, but they're spread throughout each of the largest four classes.

Between Nazareth, Joliet Catholic, Carmel and the other ESCC teams they've faced, the Redwings have seen many different styles of play. New considers it the perfect training ground for the playoffs.

“We've got our share of great players and programs in the ESCC,” New said. “We're all pretty battle tested heading into the playoffs.”

Couldn't catch a brake:

On the way to West Aurora for the season finale, Glenbard East's bus broke down. Rams coach John Walters said the emergency brake went on and couldn't be turned off.

“The bus wouldn't move,” Walters said.

The Rams sat along the Interstate 88 tollway for about 45 minutes until another bus showed up around 7 p.m. for the 7:30 game.

“We got to see an amazing sunset,” said Walters, whose team eventually lost 45-35 to finish 3-5.

“Drake (Pusateri) walked up from the back of the bus and said, 'We haven't caught a break all year and this isn't helping.' It was just kind of a fitting last game,” Walters said.

Ball skills and track speed:

Montini coach Chris Andriano called sophomore cornerback Mitch West a “hungry kid.” His two interceptions last Friday against Marmion proved it.

West ran stride for stride down the right sideline and picked off a floating pass which led to Montini's third unanswered score in the first half. His leaping interception in the Broncos' end zone with 27.3 seconds left secured the lead in a game Montini won 27-14.

Last year as a freshman he was a standout,” Andriano said. “We could see that we needed to take a good look at him. Over the summer he just kept getting better and improving himself. He earned that starting spot.”

Also a fearless, hard hitter, West is among three sophomores starting for Montini, joining running back Prince Walker and two-way lineman Joe Spivak. Sophomore offensive lineman Dan Dominiak also started until an early season-ending knee injury.

Andriano called West a competitor with good ball skills. At 5-foot-10 he doesn't have the longest stride, but competing as a track sprinter helps out.

“That's just smart,” Andriano said, “because he knows how it can help him.”