Faces in the crowd
Daniels, Boatright, McNulty, Westphal, Armstread rank first for 'Brook secondary
Opposing offensive coordinators have come to the conclusion that the Bolingbrook High School secondary of Alex McNulty, Brandon Westphal, David Boatright, Marcus Daniels and Maurice Armstead operates with surgical, military precision, attacking the football as "Ivlow's Interceptors."
michael r. schmidt/staff photographer
Ask Raiders head coach John Ivlow about his secondary and he points toward Howard. Ask Howard about his defensive backs and the conversation churns between the individual and the unit. But in mentioning McNulty's 5 interceptions, 2 apiece by Boatright, Daniels and Armstead and another by Westphal, the message becomes clear.
They are takeaway artists.
"Well, that's one of the things we've been working on since last year, since the summer," Howard said. "Take nothing away from them, though -- they are special players, special guys. Not only are they physically talented, it's the way they approach the game mentally. They're very mature, which you don't always find in high school football because of the distractions."
Instead, the quintet of safeties McNulty and Westphal and corners Daniels, Boatright and Armstead have been driving various teams to distraction, something top-seeded host Bolingbrook (9-0) looks to bring out for full effect Friday night in first-round Class 8A playoff action against Chicago Curie (5-4). Kickoff is at 7.
While the matchup contains the highest and lowest seeds of the 8A bottom bracket, the Raiders plan on avoiding any complacency in the opener of their 17th straight postseason appearance. A one-time bridesmaid in 1993 under Phil Acton, Bolingbrook has been on a state title mission in 2008, beginning with a 21-20 win over 8A contender Downers Grove South.
And it was Boatright's interception of a 2-point conversion pass with 34 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter that clinched the victory of victories.
"They're competitive," Howard said. "I have five competitors who take pride in what they do. A lot of them have aspirations of playing at the next level, and you can tell by watching the way they practice and the way they prepare that it means a lot to them."
With the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Westphal traversing at free safety and the 5-10, 180-pound McNulty making the natural move from outside linebacker to strong safety, Ivlow seemed secure during the preseason with the last-man perimeter of his secondary, particularly since both were seniors and returning starters from an 8-3 finisher.
McNulty, a three-year varsity regular, noted he will sign a Division I letter of intent with Colorado State and also has an offer from Eastern Illinois. Westphal, meanwhile, listed Illinois State as his main suitor. As the headliners of an all-state secondary, McNulty and Westphal mesh like pieces of a puzzle, relishing their Raider role.
They are the safety net.
"Finesse, technical, be smart," Westphal said of playing his position. "I like the fact that I can roam around, see everything, and I trust my teammates to help me out. Trust is a big thing. If one person messes up, everybody messes up, and it's never one person's fault. We rely on each other."
"When I played outside linebacker last year, I wanted to play safety, but I got to where I liked the hitting being in the box," McNulty said. "When they switched me back this year, I found myself getting more interceptions, but the thing I still liked about it was being physical and getting to the point of attack to make the tackles."
Many of Bolingbrook's tackles by the secondary belong to Westphal. McNulty rates as the best ball-hawker of the bunch, merging style and substance.
"All of them bring something they can call their own to the table," Howard said. "McNulty has more of the vocal aspect among the DBs, and he's the leader. He competes hard, he works hard, and he challenges everybody at every position. And Alex, absolutely, can play Division I football.
"Westphal is more of the silent leader, and honestly, he should play D-1. He leads by example, doesn't talk too much, but he's very physical. He runs to the ball, closes well and makes a lot of plays. He's knocked out a couple of guys on our team by accident because of how aggressive he is and because of the intensity that he always plays with."
That intensity ignites from the torch of McNulty. His leadership creates the mettle of Bolingbrook's chain.
"Our ultimate goal is to not be the weakest link on the field," he said. "We want to make teams change their game because they are facing a team with five outstanding defensive backs."
Although possessing the fewest interceptions of the five-live crew, Westphal acknowledged the Raiders could play five additional games, so he has adjusted his pick pledge accordingly.
"I want to get about five more interceptions," he said. "I dropped one because one of my teammates decided to take me out while I was in the air. It was Daniels ... yeah, I owe him one."
The constant at cornerback for Bolingbrook this season has been Boatright, the 5-10, 175-pound senior. Armstead, a 6-1, 190-pound junior, provided the bookend for Boatright until suffering a high-ankle sprain. Daniels, a 5-10, 172-pound junior, then stepped in with the form of ex-New York Giants standout Jason Sehorn.
Of Bolingbrook's Joliet-area leading 34 takeaways, 19 have been interceptions, the remainder via 15 fumble recoveries. Six of the interceptions have materialized from the combined coverage of Boatright, Armstead and Daniels, each playing the position that a dominant Howard showed the importance of at Bolingbrook and Michigan.
They are the cornerstone.
"To me, cornerback is the hardest position on the field besides quarterback," Boatright said. "You don't know what the wide receiver is going to do, so you have to anticipate and react. Coach Howard teaches all of us that, and that's what makes us go. We have to be up there with the best in the state."
"You might not hear Boatright say two words," Howard said. "But as far as being fundamentally and technically sound, he has the best footwork."
Fancy footwork revolves around Daniels' plot line. For generations, football developed a foolish mold for each position -- see the old NFL dictionary for quarterback before Doug Williams -- and Daniels does not fit.
"You know, I am white," Daniels said, relating to the Sehorn stereotype. "Since I'm the only white guy of the group, a lot of people on other teams underestimate me. It changes up with the formations, but I usually get into the flat for run support or I have to guard my guy man-to-man."
"Daniels doesn't have an ego, but he has such a competitive nature," Howard said. "If he gets beat, I could never take him out of the game because it hurts him more than anybody else to give up a play. He might not be as fast as some of the other guys, but he has sound fundamentals and technique."
As far as the fundamental-and-technique criteria, Armstead caught Howard's eye as a sophomore-to-be in the summer. Thus, the injury truly hurt.
"I was kind of sick to my stomach, watching on the sidelines," Armstead said. "I've been rehabbing, and now I'm ready to go. I had to be a part of the playoffs. One of the things I learned was I don't keep my feet up. Sometimes, I drag my feet, and watching Jamel Martin, our running back, he keeps his feet up all the time. That's why he runs for all those touchdowns."
"Maurice has made humongous strides," Howard said. "We're excited because you can see his development. It's a luxury because, with him, we have five guys who can potentially start with no dropoff in production."
Considering Armstead's ability to play safety and corner, Ivlow, Howard and defensive coordinator Bob Corra own five options. The best bet?
"I would say the two safeties, Alex and Westphal," Daniels said. "Alex brings all the intensity and motivates us and Westphal makes big tackles."
"I think it's pretty much a tie between Alex and Brandon," Armstead agreed, "because they are the last man of the defense at all times."
Notre Dame's 1924 offensive backfield earned the fabled nickname of "The Four Horsemen" under legendary coach Knute Rockne. Alex McNulty, Brandon Westphal, David Boatright, Marcus Daniels and Maurice Armstead have gained distinction for Howard as "Ivlow's Interceptors" because of four fluid factors.
They are fast.
They are smart.
They are physical.
They are, simply, the best.
"This is a unit," Boatright said. "Coach Howard tells us all the time, 'This group has the most potential of any secondary I have ever coached before,' and I believe it, too. At every position, we have somebody who can actually play at a high level on the field, and you can say that about all 11 players on defense, 12 with Maurice."
"When you play football at Bolingbrook High, you have some shoes to fill," Howard said. "We're a traditionally talented, competitive football program. We haven't won state yet, but it's something where we've been knocking on the door and we feel, with this group, we have the chance."
Chances are, Bolingbrook's opponents worriedly concur. Daniels described it as "each one of us stands out differently each game, so it's hard to single one out." Westphal summed up the cohesiveness of the secondary, checking off "get a scholarship to play college football, graduate, then try to get to the pros. That's our dream."
Both Westphal and McNulty, however, cited Bolingbrook's dream team over the individual. To paraphrase Westphal, teamwork overtakes talent.
"I've been on the varsity for three years," McNulty said. "Personally, I've learned the dos and the don'ts of being a defensive back. With this group of guys, we all know what to do, we all know about game situations, and I think we're probably the best secondary that has ever played here."
"In my opinion," Armstead said, echoing the sentiment of Boatright, "we're one of the best in the state."
