Kinney's limbs work wonders for Glenbard East
Glenbard East needed every bit of quarterback Steven Kinney's arms and legs to hold off a punishing rushing attack from Willowbrook on Friday night in Lombard.
The Rams slipped past the Warriors for a season-opening 21-18 victory despite a dominating rushing attack behind a largely unproven offensive line, led by Willowbrook running back James Bolden.
The season started ominously for the Warriors as their first play from scrimmage went for an interception on a deflected ball to Rams' cornerback Dreylon Jones. From there Glenbard East (1-0) seized momentum as they both blocked a Willowbrook field goal and scored a touchdown via Kinney's legs as he scampered 31 yards for the touchdown.
Glenbard East then capitalized as wide receiver Kevin Priebe took over. The 6-foot-4 receiver caught a 24-yard pass on third down, then caught a 13-yard touchdown on the next play to give the Rams a 14-0 lead. Priebe also added a 65-yard touchdown as he and Kinney improvised a near-sack into a huge play.
"Instead of a 5-yard hitch, he said to make a fake and go long. I told him to throw it up because we needed a big play and boom, he put it right there," Priebe said.
After the early miscues Willowbrook (0-1) settled into their ground-churning rushing game which led to their first score of the game. The Warriors offense featured a steady diet of running backs Bolden and Jabril Jones, which brought the offense deep into Glenbard East territory with four minutes to go in the second half. Quarterback Dan Fahlgren found wide receiver Tyler Adams for a 22-yard score to draw the Warriors within a touchdown.
The Warriors then came out to start the second half they way they left off in the first, running all over the Rams. Willowbrook ran the ball 13 times for 64 yards, culminating with a Bolden 1-yard plunge.
However, the Warriors couldn't convert on the conversion attempt again, which eventually ended up hurting them.
"In the end it comes down to those five plays that are the difference makers, and unfortunetly most of those plays went against us," Willowbrook coach Mark Olson said. "We needed to get those plays to swing the momentum our way."
Bolden echoed his coaches' sentiments.
"We had giveaways and big opportunities and we didn't capitalize and we couldn't hold onto the ball so we fell short," Bolden said.
An interception late on a ball in and out of the hands of a Willowbrook receiver sealed the Warriors' fate as Kinney and the Rams ran the clock out.
"They outfought us a lot of the game," Glenbard East coach Dennis Lueck said. "They had the blocked field goal and two interceptions and we made the big plays when we had to and that's what you have to do to win games. It was a battle."