Herald-News Week 3 Football Notebook: Bolingbrook airing it out, Joliet West looking good, lines leading way

Bolingbrook’s dynamic passing attack was on full display in its heartbreaking 51-49 loss to Naperville North on Friday night.

While senior Wisconsin recruit Kyan Berry Johnson is the star of the Raiders receiving corps, sophomore Adrian Jones and junior Chico Thomas also are big-time playmakers for star quarterback Jonas Williams.

The trio showed how dangerous it can be, with each receiver hauling in two touchdown catches. Berry Johnson had 11 catches for 91 yards, Jones had seven receptions for 107 yards, and Thomas finished with seven catches for 106 yards.

Williams ended the night 32 of 40 passing for 355 yards and six touchdowns.

“We definitely showed what we can do,” Williams said. “We know what we’re capable of, and we know that they didn’t really stop us. We made a few mistakes that we need to learn from.”

The Raiders (2-1) had three turnovers, all on fumbles. Naperville North won the game on a 20-yard field goal from Tyler Duewel on the final play of the game.

“We will learn from this,” Bolingbrook coach Titcus Pettigrew said.

Bear down

The Plainfield North defense has been stellar all season, allowing just one touchdown in its first three games. A name familiar to Bears fans is one of the reasons why.

Treycen Bownes, the son of former Bears receiver and current Plainfield North assistant coach Fabian Bownes, is a defensive back for the Tigers. In Friday night’s 24-0 win over Plainfield South, Bownes broke up two passes and made several tackles.

JCA opens conference play

Joliet Catholic will open CCL/ESCC play Friday against 2-1 Niles Notre Dame.

It will mark the fourth of at least five games for the Hilltoppers against foes at or above .500, with now 2-1 St. Francis waiting in Week 5.

JCA will be looking to bounce back from a mistake-fueled 20-10 home loss in Week 3 to St. Rita.

Plainfield North opening holes

Plainfield North’s offensive line lost four starters from last season.

This year’s edition of sophomore Finn Fuller (6-3, 240), junior Rome Marsaglia (5-8, 280), junior Nick Aylsworth (5-10, 195), senior Michael Byrne (6-0, 275) and junior Jayden Brown (6-3, 200) paved the way for 153 rushing yards, including 103 yards and two touchdowns from Robert Tota.

It starts up front for Coal City

After a bit of a slow start shutting down Streator and Bulldogs dual-threat quarterback Christian Benning in the early-going of an eventual 55-6 victory, the Coal City defense held Streator to one second-half first down after allowing 10 over the opening two quarters.

Part of that was because of Benning leaving late in the second quarter with a shoulder injury and not returning. But a lot of it was the work of the Coalers’ defensive line, which dominated more and more as the game played on.

“D-line wise, it’s hard for me to pick just one guy,” Coalers coach Frabcis Loughran said. “Our front four, Austin Davy and Al Waliczek, our ends, did a nice job; Emmett Easton’s only a freshman, and he held his own out there, and Tanner Wallace, a senior, I thought they did a great job.

“And our offensive line, I know we had a nice night rushing the ball, and they, as a unit, did a great job for us.”

Opportunities ahead for Joliet West?

Through three weeks of the season Joliet West is 2-1. In their quest to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019 and post the program’s first season above .500 since 2016, the Tigers – on paper, at least – look to be in a great position.

Four of the six remaining opponents on Joliet West’s schedule [Joliet Central, Plainfield South, Romeoville and Plainfield East] currently are 0-3. The other two [Plainfield North this Friday and Plainfield Central in the regular-season finale Oct. 20] currently are 1-2.