Batman, Robin back together as South downs Romeoville

JOLIET -- Move over Batman and Robin, the Plainfield South Cougars have their own version of the dynamic duo in running backs Rakeem Jones and Chris Brown.

There was no bat signal in the cool air, however. The only signal for help came from the Spartan sidelines as Jones and Brown combined to rush for 314 yards of the Cougars' 432 total rushing yards en route to a 42-14 victory over Romeoville in Southwest Prairie Conference play Friday.

Plainfield South (4-5, 3-4) knew it was in for a good night on the ground when Brown reeled off a 54-yard gain on the game's very first play from scrimmage. Brown carried the ball only once in the second half but finished with 144 yards on 11 carries.

"It felt good to be able to run the ball whenever we wanted to," Brown said. "It seemed like we got a little satisfied at the end of the first half. I just wanted to keep it going and use the clock."

After Brown's electric start, Jones scored on a 4-yard touchdown run two plays later to get Plainfield South the lead for good at 7-0 with 11:11 left in the first quarter. Jones finished with a game-high 170 yards on 12 carries and 4 touchdowns.

The Senior Night/homecoming game was extra special for Jones, who has gone through an injury-riddled season but took time to credit those close to him for his success.

"Our line was doing it all tonight," Jones said. "They (offensive line) were creating the holes and we were just picking and choosing where we go. I dedicate this game to my dad."

Romeoville (1-8, 0-7) had little success early against the Cougars defense and could not sway momentum.

"I told the kids that we did improve from last year but that our record doesn't show it," Romeoville coach Steve Stefanski said. "It's always the little things like tackling and wrapping that we need to improve on."

The momentum kept building on the Cougars' next possession as Jones reeled off a 52-yard touchdown run.

"It's good to see the kids come out and improve," Plainfield South coach Mike Briscoe said. "We had a big win against Oswego East last week to knock them out of the playoffs and then to come out tonight on our homecoming and block the way that we did and run the ball the way we did was huge."

South blew the game wide open on their next series when Jones scored on a 27-yard touchdown run to extend the Cougars lead to 21-0 with less than a minute left in the first quarter.

"Getting Rakeem (Jones) healthy at the end of the year has been a plus," Briscoe said. "To have him play offensively and defensively was the plan all year but unfortunately he has been on crutches for most of the year."

Brown scored on a 6-yard touchdown run with 4:19 left before halftime to make the score 28-0 and put the game out of reach.