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Scouting the Glenbard South Raiders

A coach's second season always runs a little smoother. It sounds that way for Glenbard South's Ryan Crissey.

"We have more depth than we had last year, which is always a positive," he said. "We're going to play extremely fast and extremely physical. I'm just really looking forward to clicking again with the same offense two years in a row now."

That means a large helping of Class 5A all-state tailback Sean Cooke and returning quarterback Jack Crouch.

"That's definitely going to be a combination teams have to respect," Crissey said.

Cooke ran for Raiders records of 1,597 yards and 28 touchdowns, on 8.92 yards a carry. An Ivy League prospect with a 33 ACT score, Cooke set program marks with 38 carries at IC Catholic and 314 yards and 7 touchdown runs at Wheaton Academy.

"The goal is for him to pick up from where he left off and just keep progressing as the season moves along," Crissey said.

An early injury thrust Crouch into varsity action last year. He passed for 1,149 yards with 18 touchdowns to just 5 interceptions and completed 59 percent of his passes. A dual-threat quarterback, as a junior his playbook will expand to target such receivers as T.J. Springfloat and Mike Paprota.

Overall the lines on each side of the ball are not as large but more athletic, Crissey said.

Despite graduating 2015 Metro Suburban West defensive player of the year Dillon Valdez, the coach believes this unit will compare to last year's defense that generated 22 turnovers. Standouts include linebacker Nick D'Ambra, cornerback Justin Goetz and lineman Talha Ayhan, who made 12 tackles for loss.

Crissey confidently sees Year 2 of his tenure resulting in Glenbard South's sixth straight playoff season and a shot at the Metro Suburban Blue title.

"Barring injury it could be a very strong year for the Raiders," he said.

The breakdown

Coach: Ryan Crissey (second year, 6-5).

2015 record: 6-5, 3-2, third in the Metro Suburban West.

Top players: Talha Ayhan (DL, 5-10, 200, sr.), Sean Cooke (RB, 5-8, 185, sr.), Jack Crouch (QB, 5-10, 175, jr.), Nick D'Ambra (LB, 6-0, 180, jr.), Justin Goetz (DB, 5-7, 160, sr.), Adam Haushahn (LB, 6-0, 185), Peter Jeske (WR, 6-3, 170, sr.), Brian Makasair (DB, 5-8, 160, jr.), Nick Puleo (OL, 6-1, 255, sr.), Anthony Stramaglia (DL, 6-1, 185, sr.), Josh Zawislak (LB, 6-0, 180, sr.).

Schedule

Fri, 8/26, Glenbard South at Addison Trail, 7:30 p.m.

Fri, 9/2, Glenbard East at Glenbard South, 7:15 p.m.

Fri, 9/9, Glenbard South at Aurora Central Catholic, 7:15 p.m.

Fri, 9/16, Ridgewood at Glenbard South, 7:15 p.m.

Fri, 9/23, Glenbard South at Fenton, 7:15 p.m.

Fri, 9/30, Wheaton Academy at Glenbard South, 7:15 p.m.

Fri, 10/7, Glenbard South at St. Edward, 7:15 p.m.

Fri, 10/14, IC Catholic Prep at Glenbard South, 7:15 p.m.

Fri, 10/21, Riverside-Brookfield at Glenbard South, 7:15 p.m.

One to watch: Week 8

The Metro Suburban Blue race should come down to the last two games, and IC's three-overtime win over the Raiders last season sticks in their craw.

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