Record Newspapers football notes: Oswego East’s Oshobi Odior back in a big way on offense with big season debut

Oshobi Odior kicked it old school to kick off the season.

The Oswego East senior as a freshman ran for 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns. Last season, though, his impact was greater on the defensive end with more snaps at linebacker than running back. He’s also been recruited more as a linebacker than running back.

But Odior made his presence felt the most with the ball in his hands last Friday, rushing for 119 yards on 19 carries in Oswego East’s 35-7 win over Waubonsie Valley.

“It felt good, especially coming off not playing running back as much the past two years. Coming back and moving how I am was actually kind of stunning to me,” Odior said. “I love playing both ways. Even if you’re on offense, you can still lay the hit on people.”

Odior, at 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds, is certainly the kind of running back opposing defenders can’t be excited to see coming their way.

“He never gets tackled by one guy, he always falls forward, he has very good vision,” Oswego East coach Tyson LeBlanc said, “and he is deceptively fast for his size.”

Odior had just 57 carries for 223 yards and two TDs last season, while carrying a heavy load defensively at linebacker. He’s grown as a running back since he first arrived at Oswego East, and not just physically.

“I feel like I’m a lot more experienced now,” Odior said. “I know what I’m doing a lot more and I’m obviously bigger than I was. I know the holes better, the cutbacks, where I’m supposed to be running.”

Oswego East ran for an even 200 yards against Waubonsie. Tyler Bibbs, a 5-foot-7, 150-pound change of pace back who is a sprinter in track gained 78 yards on seven carries. Meanwhile, the Wolves’ defensively allowed just 26 yards rushing.

The success running the football was a welcome sight for a Wolves’ offense that at times struggled to sustain drives last season, relying heavily on the big play. Oswego East returns just two of its linemen from last year – Orlando Kye Woodhouse and Tim Savchuk – but it’s a much bigger group. The Wolves averaged 225-230 pounds across the board last season, up to around a 260-pound average this year.

“After coming back off of summer camp I saw a huge improvement in those guys,” Odior said. “They’ve got so much bigger. These guys are not someone you want to mess with.”

As for Odior, who got in just two plays defensively last Friday, his offense/defense balance looks to be a week-to-week proposition going forward.

“I think it’s game dependent,” LeBlanc said.

Yorkville’s Gettemy brothers throw their weight around

Yorkville played a variety of kids in different packages in its 42-0 win over Romeoville, and Foxes’ head coach Dan McGuire was pleased that everybody that got into the game contributed to the cause. Notable was the performances of brothers Kyle Gettemy and Josh Gettemy.

Kyle, a senior outside linebacker, had three tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown. Josh, a junior who plays linebacker and running back, had six carries for 22 yards and a touchdown, and caught two passes for 81 yards.

“They are both extremely strong, really committed to the weight room. They are some of the strongest kids we have on this team,” McGuire said. “They are good athletes and very physical kids with high motors, similar in that respect.”

The brothers’ commitment to weight training apparently runs in the genes. McGuire said that the Gettemy’s dad is a big believer in weightlifting and the brothers do weightlifting outside of school.

“They have some of the best power clean form I’ve ever seen,” McGuire said. “Not only good form but they’re lifting twice their weight. They’re strong, explosive kids with high motors.”

Plano's Waleed Johnson (6) outruns Ottawa's Ryder Miller at King Field on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022.

Plano gets ‘a bit of a wake up call’

Plano coach Rick Ponx acknowledged that last Friday’s surprising 13-12 loss at Ottawa was “maybe a little bit of a wake-up call” for a Reapers’ team with high hopes coming off a 6-4 season.

The Reapers had beaten the Pirates three seasons in a row, 34-0 the last time they played at Ottawa, and Plano’s JV team beat Ottawa 30-0 last week.

“Coming off a season where the kids worked hard, they had a good summer, a little bit of confidence going into the opening game thinking we were going to walk right through there,” Ponx said. “When it didn’t happen right away, we realized it would be a ballgame.”

Waleed Johnson ran for 139 yards and a touchdown for Plano, but the Reapers left plenty of room for improvement offensively after managing just 11 offensive plays in the second half.

“We couldn’t keep our offense on the field; that was the biggest issue,” Ponx said. “You’re not going to win many games doing that. We weren’t staying on blocks, guys were falling on blocks and their defense was making plays. I think we’re a good team. I think we have a special group. It’s how we respond.”

Going into Friday’s home opener with Manteno, that starts with going back to the basics.

“We started [Monday], these are the plays we are going to perfect, the defensive schemes we will perfect,” Ponx said. “We will be simple and allow our kids to play fast, make sure there is no confusion and go let them play football.”

Oswego prepares for different look

Oswego this week is preparing for a different opponent – as far as head coach Brian Cooney knows, his program has never played Andrew – and a different look. The Thunderbolts, from south suburban Tinley Park, employ a double wing system. Oswego faced an iteration of it in its last meeting with Plainfield South. Romeoville runs a version of it.

“There are a lot of different looks – double wing, broken bone, veer mid line, dive option. This team is heavy on a fullback first trying to get a push,” Cooney said. “If they do wiggle out, No. 2, he busted off a 70-yard run last week. Looking at their tendencies, who gets the ball, regardless of where the best athlete is stopping the fullback has to be an emphasis.”

Oswego didn’t even use a football on Monday during its team segment as it began preparation for defending Andrew. Tuesday Cooney said they’d introduce a football.

“It’s tough to simulate this offense. It’s not like you’re jumping into defending the spread,” Cooney said. “We have to train the kids’ eyes and feet and we identify them by numbers. If you look at a true dive option, fullback is level one, quarterback is level two and tailback is level three. We have to be on the same page.”

Oswego lost five starters to injury in last Friday’s game against Neuqua Valley. As of Tuesday, Cooney did not have an update on their status.