Plainfield North edges out Plainfield South

Plainfield North's Andrew Starks brings down Plainfield South's Dondre Adams in their crosstown clash at North Friday night.

(Larry Kane/Special to The Sun-Times News Group)

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PLAINFIELD -- A late drive by Plainfield South High School came up 6 inches short as Plainfield North held off its Southest Prairie Conference rival and grabbed a huge 14-7 victory Friday night.

Both teams remain in the playoff hunt heading into the last week of the regular season. North (4-4, 4-2) and South (4-4, 2-4) both need to win next week to qualify. The Tigers meet Morris, which also needs to win to make the playoffs, while the Cougars take on Oswego East.

With 1 minute 47 seconds remaining in Friday's game, South had a fourth-and-inches at the North 14-yard line. Running back Chris Brown, one of the top running backs in the area, skidded on the muddy turf and lost a yard, giving the Tigers the ball and ensuring their victory.

"It was quite a stop," North coach Tim Kane said. "I wasn't especially pleased with my defense tonight, but they stepped up when they had to."

North dominated the first quarter. After receiving the opening kickoff at their own 34, the Tigers controlled the ball for 23 plays from scrimmage. During the deliberate, time-consuming march, North picked up six first downs.

Finally, 11 minutes 6 second into the drive, quarterback Andrew Starks, carrying the ball for the 12th time in the possession, pushed it in from 1 yard out. Tim Eulitz's kick gave North a 7-0 lead.

"That long drive was tough for us," South coach Mike Briscoe said. "It kept our defense on the field and kept our offense from getting into the game early."

South had its own long drive in the second quarter, controlling the ball for 7:47. However, the march came up empty. North's defense stopped South from scoring on five consecutive plays from the 10-yard line and closer. Finally, on a fourth-and-goal from the 4, North forced an incomplete pass, taking over the ball with 1:03 to go in the half.

North increased its lead with 5:39 remaining in the third quarter following a South punt that placed the ball at the South 45. The Tigers' Devonta Davis ran the ball downfield for 37 yards only to have it jarred loose. However, teammate Chris Whitehead scooped it up and carried it the final 8 yards for an improbable Tigers score.

"We haven't always gotten a lot of breaks this year," Kane said. "However, we were glad to get that one."

South began its comeback effort with 2:11 to go in the third quarter. Quarterback Jeff Kohl pitched the ball to receiver Andrew Turk, and Turk, a former quarterback, threw the option pass 24 yards to tight end Luke Gundersen for South's lone touchdown.

"I believe some of my players had been losing their confidence the past couple of games (one-sided losses to Oswego and Morris), but we came into this game ready to play without fear," Briscoe said. "We played confidently, but unfortunately North played a little bit better."