Preview capsule: Bolingbrook football

On defense, the Raiders bring back four Division I recruits from a squad that pitched two shutouts and six times held opponents to 7 points or less.

And, yet, coach John Ivlow is fretting. Why? He has to rebuild his offensive line and retool his secondary following a season in which the Raiders won 10 straight before being bounced out of the 8A playoffs in the second round by eventual runnerup Hinsdale Central 35-14.

"My concern is the offensive line because in every game we've lost in the playoffs, we've been whupped up front, specifically on the offensive side," Ivlow said. "The defensive linemen have manhandled us. We're bigger and stronger. But we return zero starters. We're still trying to find the five best guys and trying to put them in the right spots."

Backfield: Senior tailback Jamel Martin is a game-breaker. He rushed for 752 yards as a junior and led Bolingbrook in scoring with 66 points. He is bigger and faster than ever -- and, not surprisingly, he's attracting interest from the big boys. "He's a solid 200-pounder and he's got phenomenal hands," Ivlow said.

Quarterback Brad Geever accounted for nearly 2,000 yards rushing and passing as a junior. He's put on 20-25 pounds. And that's not all. "His arm is stronger and he's ahead football-wise from where he was a year ago," Ivlow said.

Devonte Jones will spell Martin at running back on occasion. And freshman Aaron Bailey is running No. 2 behind Geever at quarterback. "He's still got a lot to learn, but we think as the year goes on he can get some meaningful reps," Ivlow said.

Linemen: What the Raiders lack in experience, they can make up for in power as their O-linemen showed in the tug-of-war competition at the Bolingbrook challenge. Antwonn McGee, Corey Pugh, Brandon Cotton, Chris James, Eddie Coates, Chris Dutton, Robert Bain and Anthony Sharp are battling for starting jobs.

Bain's older brother, Ryan, was the state heavyweight wrestling champion. He went on to play football at Iowa.

Receivers: Chris Williams (23 catches, 461 yards) and Anthony Greene (14 catches, 234 yards) are the top returning targets. Michael Cropes, Danny Fisher and Xavier Perkins also will work into the mix when 'Brook spreads the field in four-wide formation. Perkins is a sophomore.

Linemen: Tackle Brandon Tucker (Eastern Illinois) and end Jeremy Curry (Eastern Michgan) are committed to play in the D-I ranks next season. Both will be playing varsity ball at 'Brook for the third straight season. Tucker's older brother, Shadonta Travis, once played quarterback for the Raiders. He now plans to walk on at Eastern. Sean Conley shifts from tight end to defensive tackle. Antonio Morrison is the other defensive end. His older brother, Antonio, also played collegiately at Eastern Illinois.

Linebackers: Marcus Lee (Toledo) and Mike Hellams (Northern Illinois) have their college plans all set. Both are three-year regulars. Matt Sapone will work alongside the two veterans in a "rover" type position, much like his father did for the Raiders in the 1980s.

Secondary: Maurice Armstead, Chris Adjepong, Rodney Stephen and Karlton Sellars are the leaders in a nine-man sweepstakes for playing time. Mitchell Caffey, Ryan Buchanan, Diandre Rhodes, Jibril Armstead and Tim Rutherford could turn the race into a marathon.

"We start out with Downers Grove South and Chandler Whitmore," Ivlow said. "If our secondary can't cover anybody, it's going to be a long night."

Whitmore is the strong-armed quarterback headed to the University of Illinois.

Williams is a dangerous punt return man and experienced punter.

Nick Knutson once again will handle placekicking duties. And, as always, the Raiders' backup running backs will return kickoffs.

Many felt like Bolingbrook was running a year ahead of schedule when the Raiders ripped through the Southwest Suburban Blue en route to winning 10 straight games in 2008. The reason? Many of their top skill players were underclassmen.

Now, those same players return.

Geever spent the offseason working with quarterback guru Jeff Christensen to improve his footwork and speed up his delivery. Martin might make people forget about Robert Farmer, Corey Day and Antoineo Harris.

The schedule features six opponents that have won state titles and will prepare the Raiders to play deep into November.