Waubonsie Valley offense gets fired up
The Waubonsie Valley offense sputtered like an engine early in Friday night's Class 8A first-round playoff battle at Bolingbrook.
But then the Warriors started firing on all cylinders and drove to a 38-21 victory over 11th-seeded Bolingbrook.
Next for No. 22 Waubonsie (7-3) is a second-round home game against sixth-seeded Maine South, which defeated 27th-seeded Huntley 55-14.
Junior running back Bryce Logan said the Warriors' regular-season schedule paid benefits against a higher-seeded team like the Raiders (7-3).
"We faced Oak Park-River Forest, Edwardsville. It was good to go against different teams and calibers of teams," he said.
Logan rushed for 109 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was helped off the field limping right at the start of the fourth quarter.
"I'm all right. It's not about me but the team. It was a great team effort tonight," he said.
The first two Waubonsie drives of the game were both three and out. Then the Warriors got the ball back with 5:43 remaining in the opening quarter.
The team proceeded to go on a 15-play, 69-yard drive that was capped by quarterback Jack Drow's 9-yard run just five seconds into the second quarter.
Waubonsie coach Paul Murphy said the reason the Warriors got going on offense was simple.
"Once we adjusted to how they were lining up, we started executing," he said.
Bolingbrook tied the game 7-7 on the next drive. On the ensuing kickoff Harper Cole returned the ball to the Bolingbrook 31-yard line, and four plays later Logan hit the end zone from 25 yards out.
His 4-yard run gave his team a 21-7 lead at halftime.
Bolingbrook's offense showed more spark in the second half by trading touchdowns with the Warriors for a while.
The Raiders pulled to within 21-14 on an 11-play drive that started the second half.
Logan's third TD, a 2-yard run, was the answer to that. Bolingbrook responded on its following possession with Quentin Pringle breaking free on the drive's second play for a 77-yard run.
Just under two minutes into the final quarter, Waubonsie's Julian Cain recovered a Bolingbrook fumble. The subsequent drive resulted in a 22-yard field goal by Cross Holmes.
A 6-yard pitchout to Dre'Von Turner with 2:52 remaining in the game sealed the win for the Warriors.
Drow spoke of how Waubonsie's offense is multifaceted and how it was a huge factor in the game.
"The O-line protected me. If I give the ball to Bryce or Dre'Von, I know they'll gain yards. If I throw the ball to Julian (Cain), Harper (Cole), Myles (Pettaway or Ryan (LeMoine), I know they are going to catch it," he said.