It was a big deal last season when Joliet Central won its first game since 2019.

The Steelmen didn’t have to wait long to get their next one.

Joliet Central rallied from a 20-13 deficit entering the fourth quarter Friday night and came away with a 27-26 win over Thornridge. The win gives the Steelmen the best record in Joliet, as Joliet West and Joliet Catholic each lost their season-opening games.

Sophomore quarterback Jeffrey Woods scored on a 1-yard sneak with just under six minutes remaining to put the Steelmen ahead 27-20. Thornridge answered with a touchdown, but did not convert the point after. The Falcons then recovered an onside kick and drove into scoring position. On the game’s final play, a Thornridge pass went into the end zone and a Falcon receiver had his hands on it, but it fell incomplete for a Joliet Central win.

Woods finished with two passing and two rushing TDs, while teammate Tristen Sanders finished with 87 rushing yards on 19 attempts.

The win last season was a game that the Steelmen controlled throughout. To rally from a deficit is a new experience.

“My message to the kids at halftime was that we have the best mascot in the state,” Central coach Thomas Hart said. “The Steelman is always looking forward, never back. He is also made of steel and can’t be broken. The kids took my words to heart and made big strides in the second half. I couldn’t be prouder of them.

“This is a group of young kids that came out and said, ‘We are going to be that team that turns this thing around.’ It’s only one game and we still have a lot of work to do, but getting a win like this is amazing.”

Minnesota takeaways

Any team that wins the turnover battle 5-0 is going to have a great chance to win the game. Unfortunately for Minooka, they were the beneficiaries of five St. Charles North turnovers but still dropped a 36-35 decision to the North Stars.

It started early, as Elliott Dahlberg provided the hit that knocked the ball loose on the opening kickoff and teammate Mason Oostema recovered it. Jackson Miranda recovered two fumbles, and Blake Larson and Colton Fitzgerald also had fumble recoveries for the Indians.

Four of those fumble recoveries led to points for Minooka, but St. Charles North took better care of the ball in the second half and rallied for the win.

Skid snappers

As mentioned above, Joliet Central’s five-year drought in victories ended last year with a win over Plainfield Central. As magical as it was for the Steelmen, it was just one of the nine defeats the Wildcats suffered through in 2024.

Aside from a season-opening 16-14 loss to Waukegan, none of Plainfield Central’s nine losses were within a possession. A 10-point loss to Plainfield East was the next closest game, and the Wildcats were outscored 119-0 in the final two weeks against Plainfield South and Joliet West.

After going a whole season without a win, Plainfield Central’s top goal this season was to snap the skid. Like Joliet Central, the Wildcats didn’t need long to make it happen.

It was another close one, just like last year, but Plainfield Central managed to snatch a 21-18 victory over Waukegan to open the year on Friday. It’s the first time the Wildcats have been over .500 since beating Joliet Central Oct. 21, 2022, which moved them to 5-4.

The winless drought didn’t last as long as the Steelmen’s, and that stretch of being under .500 pales in comparison as well. Still, for the first time in two years, the Wildcats had a real reason to celebrate on a fall Friday night.

Next up is Metea Valley, which has won two games in three years. Can the Wildcats make it two weeks in a row? That will surely be one to watch.

New kids on the block

Undoubtedly, a 41-0 loss to Oswego East wasn’t the start Joliet West was envisioning coming into the year. While the offense had its troubles last year, the defense was one of the best in the Herald-News area.

This year? It’s just one week, but a tough start.

Coach Dan Tito noted, though, that the bulk of the players who led the Tigers to the postseason the past two years have now departed. That includes star linebacker Micah McNair, who is now hunting opposing running backs for Indiana State. Tito praised the performance of Oswego East, but more importantly, he reminded his group that this is all part of the process.

“I had the guys stand up if this was their first time playing meaningful varsity minutes in a game, and 23 guys stood up,” he said. “A lot of us are still learning, but we have a great group of guys that I’m excited to be around. We’re going to get through this and be ready for the next game.”

The Tigers will visit Yorkville this week to see how much growing up they did from Week 1 to Week 2.

Week 1 results

Lockport 34, Plainfield North 0

Plainfield East 55, Argo 2

Romeoville 20, Stagg 19

Lincoln-Way West 47, Blue Island Eisenhower 7

Oswego East 41, Joliet West 0

Joliet Central 27, Thornridge 26

Seneca 47, Chicago Christian 6

Plainfield Central 21, Waukegan 12

Coal City 40, Pontiac 13

El Paso-Gridley 28, Reed-Custer 14

Peotone 48, Granite City 7

St. Charles North 36, Minooka 35

Providence 49, Wheaton Academy 14

Morris 27, Wilmington 20

Libertyville 43, Lemont 0

Lyons 24, Joliet Catholic 14

Lincoln-Way Central 56, St. Charles East 40

Pekin 28, Plainfield South 7

Homewood-Flossmoor 44, Bolingbrook 30

Lincoln-Way East 40, Maine South 0