Plaso, Glenbard South earn fifth win
Glenbard South quarterback Nick Plaso kept making coach Ryan Crissey nervous.
He'll want to do it more often.
Plaso ran for 102 yards and 3 touchdowns and threw for 137 yards and 2 more TDs in the Raiders' 44-20 Upstate Eight Conference football victory against Fenton on Friday in Glen Ellyn. Not bad for a kid who didn't play in the fourth quarter.
"He was awesome," Crissey said. "It's not surprising, but 5 touchdowns is absolutely incredible. Nick was making me nervous. I didn't want him to run as much as he was. But he made the correct reads."
Plaso preferred to deflect credit for the big game to his teammates and coaches.
"It was just a great team effort tonight," Plaso said. "We had a great week of practice. We had a great game plan coming into tonight. And we kinda did just a little bit of everything. The line played amazing. They gave me the time to throw, all the blocks were there and we really executed our game plan."
The senior wasn't the only Raider with impressive offensive stats. Junior running back Kylen Henderson responded to the "personal challenge" Crissey gave him and ran for 107 yards and a TD.
"He just found the holes tonight. He's a shifty runner. He runs hard, lowers his shoulder when he needs to and I just trust him," Plaso said.
Sophomore Trevor Burnett answered the call for more explosive plays with 5 carries for 42 yards and a 48-yard touchdown reception. Junior receiver Yazan Blan added a 14-yard TD reception, and backup quarterback Hunter Gibson added a 16-yard TD run.
The Raiders scored the game's first three touchdowns and led 31-6 at halftime.
"You've got to compete for four quarters, and in the first half we didn't compete," Fenton coach Mathew Lynch said. "And so because of that they jumped on us, and you can't give decent football teams those opportunities. You've got to show up from the beginning and be ready to play. And we weren't ready to play. And that's ultimately my fault."
It was the fourth consecutive defeat for the Bison (2-4, 2-4). Fenton senior Andre Bess ran for a touchdown, and Frank Krygier and Ethan Queyquep each caught a TD pass from quarterback Nickolas Benn.
Glenbard South ran its record to 5-1 overall and in the UEC, making itself playoff eligible. If the Raiders do ultimately earn a playoff berth, it will be their ninth straight.
"It's a great accomplishment as a team," Plaso said. "It's kind of a tradition here, make the playoffs, but we feel like this team is different. We're not just here to go 5-4, the same thing we've always done. We're here to set a new record."