Safe to call this a rematch?

Bolingbrook and Downers Grove South have played each other three times in three years, however none will be as big as their fourth meeting Saturday in a Class 8A second-round playoff game.

The last three meetings between the teams were decided by a combined six points with second-seeded Bolingbrook (9-1) taking the last two meetings between the teams at home. In Week 1, the Raiders defeated the seventh-seeded Mustangs (8-2) 16-14.

"We have had success in the past but we are still playing against a very good team in Downers Grove (South)," Raiders football coach John Ivlow said. "I think the scores in the last three times that we have played them have indicated that."

Bolingbrook comes off of a first round scare against a very good Lyons Township team that held Bolingbrook to just 17 points on a very windy day at Bolingbrook. The Raiders got big plays from Karlton Sellers who intercepted a pass at the Raiders one-yard line and Jamel Martin who put the game away with his 87-yard touchdown run.

"We played a very good team last week and we made some mistakes but that's high school football for you," Raiders wide receiver Chris Williams said. "You are always learning and all of us know we need to make less mistakes out there if we want to beat DGS."

Williams had three catches for 46 yards and one touchdown versus the Lions.

Downers Grove enters the second round with some momentum from a 22-21 comeback victory over Waubonsie Valley (6-4). The Mustangs trailed 21-12 but rallied back to take a lead. Waubonsie had a shot to win the game but the 40-yard field goal attempt went wide.

After starting the season 0-2 the Mustangs, who won the West Suburban Gold Conference, have rattled off eight straight wins. In that span, they have scored just under 37 points per game while allowing just 12 points per game.

While the stats are impressive, it is hard to judge how far and how good the Downers South team has come since Week 1. In their first two games of the season, the Mustangs faced teams with a combined record of now 19-1. Besides Bolingbrook, Downers South fell to Glenbard West (27-14) -- the No. 1 seed in the 7A bracket. Since their non-conference schedule, the Mustangs have played teams who have a combined 26-48 record (including Waubonsie) this season.

Coming into the playoffs, Downers South had played only three teams that made the postseason.

One thing that can't be questioned is the Mustangs offense, led by University of Illinois-bound Chandler Whitmer. Whitmer went 14 of 22 for three touchdowns and one interception. His primary target was Jason Jozaites. Jozaites had all of the Mustangs catches in the first half and he finished with nine catches for 150 yards.

They will continue to run their base offense against Bolingbrook, however each game this season they have came out and showcased a different formation. It will be up to Bolingbrook's defense to adjust to it throughout the game.

The winner of the Bolingbrook-Downers Grove South game will take on either Glenbard North or Sandburg, which play tonight.

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