Grayslake Central comes up short
Making the long trip to Tinley Park on Saturday evening, Grayslake Central found itself in a pretty good battle of running backs.
The Rams have relied heavily for three seasons on senior Joey Valdivia, who gained 163 yards on 22 carries in this game.
Tinley Park's answer was a little younger and slightly smaller, but 5-foot-7 junior Greg Wallace came up huge for the home team. He ran for 190 yards on 23 carries to lead the host Titans to a 35-22 victory in the Class 5A first round.
"The coaches put it to me, 'Are you going to play better than him? Who is it going to be for this game?'" Wallace said. "I told them it was going to be me and I went out there and made sure it was me."
Helping Wallace's cause was the right side of Tinley Park's offensive line, featuring Christopher Clarke (6-4, 274) and Zack Webster (6-2, 284). The Titans, who lost to Vernon Hills in last year's second round, won a home playoff game for the first time since 1986.
"We came up short. The kids played hard. The attitude and effort was correct," Grayslake Central coach Nick Goshe said. "The coaching staff walks out of here pretty happy with these kids right now. These kids represented Grayslake in a very good way in a tough environment to play."
The Rams (7-3) fell behind 21-9 at halftime, then executed a snappy comeback. On the third play of the third quarter, Valdivia took a pitch to his left and did what he does best break several tackles on the way to a 59-yard touchdown.
After the defense forced a three-and-out, Central took the ball at midfield and drove again. On fourth down at the 4-yard line, Valdivia was barely touched as he went in over right tackle and gave the Rams a 22-21 lead with 5:40 left in the third quarter.
But while Tinley Park's defense keyed even more on Valdivia, Central was missing some key weapons. Top receiver Vince Smith, who caught a 49-yard pass from Ray Beckman in the first half, twisted his leg and could only hold on placekicks in the second half. He left the field on crutches. Running back Devon Osburn was slowed by a sprained ankle.
Late in the third quarter, Tinley Park started its go-ahead drive with a 29-yard pass play. Receiver Tracey Brandy was covered like a glove, but batted the ball in the air and came up with the catch. The Titans' third touchdown was a 5-yard pass that Brandy somehow stole from the Grayslake cornerback's grasp.
"To be honest, you kind of tip your hat because there's not much you can do about it," Goshe said. "If you're forcing them to go to an alley-oop, that's what you want."
A 1-yard sneak by quarterback Kyle Sheridan gave Tinley Park a 29-22 lead with 11:54 remaining. The Rams couldn't move the ball on their next two possessions, even after an interception by Davonte Jennings near midfield.
Wallace finally led the Titans on a clock-consuming 80-yard drive that finally ended in the end zone with just 51.6 seconds left.
"We came out strong. We just couldn't stop them in the fourth quarter," said Valdivia, part of the first Grayslake senior class to play in three playoff games. "It was an amazing experience, being in the playoffs. We just came up a little short today."