'Brook's Martin makes L-Way C. feel sick

NEW LENOX -- Jamel Martin wasn't feeling very good.

He was running with a purpose.

Martin, a 6-foot, 200-pound senior tailback, put aside his illness and helped Bolingbrook gain a share of the Southwest Suburban Blue football crown. He rushed for 172 yards on 23 carries and scored 4 touchdowns in a 26-13 victory over Lincoln-Way Central on Friday night at Lashmet Field.

The win sends the Raiders (8-1, 6-1) into the 8A playoffs riding a high.

"He is very under the weather," Bolingbrook coach John Ivlow said. "I'm so proud of all of our guys. I think we had 52 out of 81 at practice one day this week. It's the flu -- everything.

"We've got guys vomiting. They'll run a play, go off to the side and vomit and come back out. We were inside this week a little bit. We never do that. We cut out film sessions because we didn't want the kids contained in the room coughing on each other.

"We cut down practice. We tried everything to get our kids healthy. We told them, 'Go get some rest.' We got them out early. That's all you can do with this thing."

Martin scored on runs of 4 and 2 yards in the second half as the Raiders blew out to a 26-3 lead and sent Central (6-3, 4-3) into the 7A playoffs on a downturn following back-to-back losses to end the regular season.

The Knights closed the gap on a 48-yard field goal by Scott Secor and 1-yard touchdown run by Alex Russo in the final 8 minutes.

"It was a good game," Martin said. "I've got to give all the credit to the offensive line. I couldn't have done without them, all my teammates. This is great. It's a good momentum builder out here. We're about to go into the playoffs.

"We can still win, even if some guys are injured or sick. We know what we've got to do to pick it up in the playoffs, too."

Martin said he didn't mind playing under adverse conditions -- the ball was slick for a light drizzle and the wind was whipping. He was bothered by his cold.

"I had a temperature over the weekend, and I have a little cold still," he said. "But I just fought through it."

He had plenty of help.

Bolingbrook quarterback Brad Geever completed 9-of-11 for 141 yards. Chris Williams caught 7 passes for 61 yards. And the Raiders' defense limited Lincoln-Way Central to 10 first downs.

The Raiders will share the conference title with Lincoln-Way East.

"Yeah, they'll get a trophy, too," Ivlow said. "But we'll take the trophy home at the meeting on Monday night because we beat them. They'll have to get theirs ordered."

Russo rushed for 82 yards on 10 carries to top the Knights. Bryan Hennessy completed 15-of-28 for 115 yards -- but he was throwing from under heavy pressure much of the time. And Central never established much of a rhythm on offense.

Martin rushed for 109 yards on 11 carries in the first half and scored both of Bolingbrook's touchdowns.

The Raiders forced a three-and-out and took over on the Central 48 after Secor shanked a punt. Three plays later, Martin was in the end zone. His 1-yard plunge followed on the heels of a 50-yard scamper around the right end and put Bolingbrook on top 6-0 with 8:43 left in the first quarter.

The Raiders extended their lead to 12-0 on a seven-play, 61-yard scoring drive. Martin's 3-yard touchdown run capped the drive. Geever completed passes of 11 yards to Chris Williams and 12 yards to Mike Cropes. Martin ripped off a 32-yard run.

The Knights moved from their own 16 to a first down at the Bolingbrook 17 late in the first half. A couple of penalties -- one for holding and another for a false start -- pushed the ball back and stalled their drive. Secor's 43-yard field goal with 1:10 remaining cut the gap to 12-3.

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