It's Plainfield C. on one wild and crazy night

ROMEOVILLE -- A veteran official came over to the chain gang and said, "This game has more weird, unique penalties than any one I've ever seen."

A fellow reporter on the sideline must have remarked a half-dozen times, "You ain't seen nothin' yet."

Football does not come much crazier than what transpired in the Southwest Prairie Conference matchup at Romeoville High School on Friday night.

Plainfield Central, needing to win its last two games to qualify for the playoffs, and the host Spartans, needing one more win to secure their spot, did not play perfect football. Far from it. But they sure made it entertaining.

When it ended, Plainfield could point to the running of senior wingback Brock Douglas and a couple of big defensive stops in the fourth quarter as catalysts to a huge 41-36 victory.

The Wildcats (4-4, 4-2) now must beat high-flying Minooka, which bumped former conference leader Oswego on Friday night, next week to qualify for the playoffs. The Spartans (5-3, 3-3) will get in if they can duplicate what Minooka accomplished against Oswego.

To recap Friday night, the teams combined for 40 first downs and 956 yards of offense. Plainfield had 21 first downs, rushed for 448 yards and passed for 16 for 464 total. Romeoville had 19 first downs, rushed for 268 and passed for 226 for 492.

However, they also combined for 18 penalties totaling 153 yards. And, they combined for nine turnovers. Plainfield lost five fumbles, while Romeoville lost a fumble and had three passes intercepted. So while the Wildcats' secondary gave up some big plays, it also delivered three big picks.

The game started out in fumble-fumble fashion -- an omen if ever there was one. Romeoville drove to the Plainfield 35 but lost a fumble that the Wildcats' Henry Thigpen recovered.

However, a couple of plays later, Plainfield fumbled the back, with the Spartans' Kyle Trethewey recovering. Nine plays later, the mighty Cameron Stingily crashed his way into the end zone from yards out for a 6-0 lead.

A high snap prevented the extra point, and that, too, was an omen. Romeoville would score six touchdowns on the night and would fail to convert after any of them. That would be a killer.

Plainfield lost another fumble on the ensuing kickoff, with Romeoville's Martin James recovering at the Wildcats' 30. Six plays later, on fourth-and-6 at the 11, Thigpen intercepted a deflected pass to end the threat.

Douglas, who rushed for 230 yards in 12 carries, broke a 66-yard run early in the second quarter. The run was amazing enough, but the coup de grace came compliments of Stingily, who doubles at linebacker. He caught Douglas from behind at the 1-yard line when it appeared he was not even in the picture.

The Wildcats scored on the next play, fullback Alonzo Morgan barging into the end zone to tie it 6-6. Kevin Dunn blocked the PAT to keep the score even.

Moments later, Stingily showed he had something left in the tank, sweeping left and cutting back to take it all the way from 46 yards. So Romeoville led 12-6 with 7:34 left in the half. Stingily rushed for 142 yards and Derrick Lewis for 123 for Romeoville.

Gillis, who completed 10-of-26 passes for 226 yards, connected with Erick Pierce on a pretty 42-yard TD strike to make it 18-6. But before the half ended, Douglas' 35-yard scamper set up Brian Meeks' 1-yard TD run to get the Wildcats within 18-14. Meeks ran for 163 yards in 21 carries.

The third quarter was wild, indeed. Douglas TD from 39 yards out, 21-18 Plainfield. A Mark Young pick leads to Douglas' 9-yard TD run -- 28-18.

Lewis an 80-yard TD run for Romeoville -- 28-24 Plainfield. Morgan scores from 18 yards -- 34-24. Romeoville's Bo Goshorn, who caught 6 for 136 yards, grabs a 39-yard TD toss from Gillis -- 34-30. Zach Warren-to-Meeks for 16 yards on fourth-and-11 -- 41-30 Plainfield.

Early in the fourth quarter, Jon Bickart's fumble recovery leads to Gillis-to-Goshorn from 17 yards. 41-36.

The rest was up to the defense -- Vito Cerino's interception in the end zone and Thigpen's breakup of a fourth-down pass.

Whew.

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