St. Laurence got its ground game going right away and thrived on chunk plays during Friday’s IHSA Class 6A first-round playoff game against Oak Lawn.

The Vikings controlled the line of scrimmage from their opening drive of the first quarter, rushing for 393 yards and logging eight carries of 20 or more yards during their 49-19 victory over the Spartans.

Senior running back and Louisville baseball commit Cory Les spearheaded the charge for St. Laurence (6-4), compiling 181 total yards and two scores.

“We knew all week that we were going to out-physical them,” Les said. “We were going to get downhill and I trusted that my line would be there. It’s our No. 1 focal point because it opens up the rest of our offense. Our ability to run the ball opens up our ability to go deep and take some shots.”

Playing in its first playoff game since 2009, Oak Lawn (7-3) fell behind early in the first quarter when St. Laurence took the ball and scored less than three minutes into its opening drive. On a screen pass from senior quarterback Jimmy McDermott, Les found space and sprinted down the Oak Lawn sideline for a 31-yard touchdown.

“We wanted the ball first, we took it and we were confident in ourselves,” said McDermott, who rushed for 92 yards and a score while adding 35 yards passing in the game. “This is a big win. We were very confident going in, but getting a win like that puts out a statement for the rest of 6A.”

The Spartans ran the ball four times on their first drive, but gained just 5 yards and came up well short on a fourth-down rush attempt up the middle. St. Laurence extended its lead soon after, capitalizing on plus field position with a 35-yard touchdown run by sophomore Keynan Morgan, who took the ball on an end-around play and outraced multiple Oak Lawn defenders.

“St. Laurence played really well and I thought they had a good game plan,” Oak Lawn coach Ryan Pattison said. “By the time we got going on offense, it was the second half and it was out of reach for us, so we had to do some things that were uncharacteristic of what we want to do. ... This was our first time in the playoffs in a long time and it was a new experience.”

The opening half quickly spiraled for the Spartans, who fumbled on their ensuing series for the first of three turnovers in the game. St. Laurence senior defensive lineman Brian Killen scooped the ball up and hustled 34 yards for a touchdown to help the Vikings take a 21-0 lead. St. Laurence, which snapped a two-game losing streak, totaled seven tackles for loss.

“I looked at their fullback and I saw a bad handoff, so I picked the ball up and ran,” Killen said. “Defensively, we did our jobs. We knew which guys had the dive, which guys had the pitch and which guys had the quarterback. We wanted to make them pass the ball and they’re a triple-option team, so they want to run. We emphasized doing our jobs and forcing them to throw.”

Oak Lawn stopped the bleeding late in the first quarter, when a 57-yard run by Isaiah Perez led to a 1-yard touchdown on a quarterback sneak by Daniel Strelow.

Strelow completed 10 passes for 139 yards and led the Spartans with 85 rushing yards on 14 carries.

Less than a minute later, St. Laurence surged ahead on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Noah Taylor to Sean Rice.

“Our balance makes our offense very explosive,” said Taylor, a sophomore and one of two quarterbacks in action for St. Laurence on Friday night. “It’s hard to defend two quarterbacks. Jimmy and I both run the ball well and we both pass the ball well. I think that deceives some defenses a lot.”

St. Laurence carried a 28-6 lead into the second quarter, where McDermott faked a handoff and exploded through the middle for a 70-yard touchdown run. The Vikings, who had 277 first half rushing yards on just 11 carries, capped off their victory with a 33-yard Les touchdown run and an 11-yard touchdown throw from Taylor to Jake Edlund during in the fourth quarter.

Despite trailing 35-6 at halftime, Oak Lawn showed signs of life during the second half. Running back Alex Soto ran in a 15-yard touchdown on a third quarter counter play before wide receiver Luke Mahoney, who caught four passes for 66 yards, made a key defensive play for the Spartans late in the third quarter, intercepting a fourth down pass in the back of the end zone.

Oak Lawn fullback Jayden Schlosser then capped off a red zone possession with a 1-yard score early in the fourth quarter. But the Vikings, who had a kick return touchdown and a rushing touchdown called back for penalties, overcame their second half miscues and finished strong, forcing turnovers on each of Oak Lawn’s final two drives.

St. Laurence advances to face Bradley-Bourbonnais in the second round of the 6A playoffs next week.