Key football diet staple: a balanced offense

During the 2009 season, Bolingbrook has seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

On Sept. 11, Bolingbrook fans watched as the Raiders suffered a 41-14 loss against Lockport on Senior Night.

However, on Oct. 9 against third-ranked Lincoln-Way East, the Raiders' stadium came alive as Bolingbrook pulled an upset over the Griffins, 46-24.

"Lockport really knocked us in the mouth and unfortunately we can't take that one back which hurts because we wanted to run another perfect season," Raiders coach John Ivlow said. "This win was big for us. However, I hope we don't see any cockiness. That's my biggest concern.

"We can have fun but this season is not over and we play two good teams."

Bolingbrook proved to the conference that it is more than just a running team as it had 303 yards through the air and just 105 yards rushing against Lincoln-Way East.

Brad Geever was 12 of 19 in the game and threw for four touchdowns. The 303 yards was the second-highest passing total of the season with only the game against Lockport being higher.

"Last week we had a little more wide-open game plan and they (Lincoln-Way East) gave us some things in the passing game. Their goal was to take away the run and make us beat them with the pass," Ivlow said. "Based on the way we have thrown the ball in the past six weeks, I would do the same thing if I was coaching against us."

The game against Lincoln-Way East was also unique because it assured Raiders fans that the program's offense will be strong for many years to come.

Freshman quarterback turned wide receiver Aaron Bailey grabbed the spotlight as he caught four passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns. On his second touchdown, Bailey caught the ball one-handed after Geever nearly overthrew the freshman standout.

"This game (versus Lincoln-Way East) showed that I can really help out and not just be looked at as a freshman on the varsity team," Bailey said. "I've become more comfortable now, I don't really have those pregame jitters and I'm just out to play football and show what I can do."

"Aaron played very well for us last week and it is another thing that teams are going to have to prepare for in the coming weeks," Ivlow said.

Coming up tonight, Bolingbrook takes on a Sandburg team (5-2, 3-2 Southwest Suburban Blue) who comes into the game off of a 38-21 victory over Thornton.

The win kept the Eagles in the hunt for their fourth playoff spot of the last eight years.

From 1984 to 2001, Sandburg qualified for the playoffs but the move up a couple of classes to 8A has made it difficult for the Eagles to return to the postseason.

Despite past struggles, the team started the season 4-0 for its best start in eight years.

However, it has cooled off a bit, losing two of its last three games.

Sandburg's quarterback Phil Musa is a threat for the deep ball. Against Thornton, both of his touchdowns went for more than 40 yards.

However, against good defenses, he has shown to be erratic as against Lincoln-Way East, where the Griffins won 49-0. Musa threw a total of three interceptions, two in the first half.

The offense that the Raiders will be facing is similar to one they faced against Lincoln-Way East, as Sandburg likes to use the double-wing with some misdirection plays. The starting running back is Kevin Thompson, who ran for 101 yards on 20 carries last week against Thornton.

"We just have to read our keys and do what we have done in the past. There's not going to be a big dramatic change happening this week and Lincoln-Way East was almost practice for what we will see this week," Raiders defensive coordinator Bob Corra said. "We have a couple kids banged up so we might need some other kids to step up and perform."

If the Raiders win their next two games, they will at least clinch a share of the Southwest Suburban Conference title.

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