Record Newspapers football notes: Stakes as high as ever in Oswego crosstown game with playoff hopes on the line

Brian Cooney made the message to his Oswego football team crystal clear in the end zone after a loss to Plainfield North in Week 6.

The margin for error is gone. Every game is a must win from here on out.

“It’s mentioned every day. It’s mentioned after every meeting,” Cooney said. “We’ve told them, you have maxed out the number of losses if you are going to see a Week 10.”

Which leads to this week.

Crosstown week, the 18th meeting of crosstown rivals this Friday at Oswego East, brings a heightened sense of urgency not seen before. Both the Panthers (3-4, 1-2), who have never missed the playoffs under Cooney, and the Wolves (4-3, 1-2) are fighting for their playoff lives. Both have very difficult Week 9 games, Oswego East at Plainfield North and Oswego hosting Yorkville.

Oswego East coach Tyson LeBlanc said the closest situation he could compare to this game between the two rivals in terms of high stakes came in 2018, when both entered with 6-0 records. But even that doesn’t compare to this scenario, in which the winner could knock the loser out of playoff contention.

“Nothing like this,” LeBlanc said. “Typically neither of us have been in this situation. We talked about it a little today. Essentially the playoffs have started for both teams. The next two games are important, more important than they’ve probably ever been in this series.”

Both teams have been hurt in part by injuries leading up to this point.

Oswego East two-way standout Oshobi Odior has not played since Week 1 because of an ankle injury. Oswego lost five starters to injury in Week 1. Cooney said that he was without seven of the 22 guys he would have penciled in as Week 1 starters at Plainfield North two weeks ago, which has led to a handful of sophomores being moved up to varsity, including Cooney’s son. But all-conference defensive end Taiden Thomas returned in that game two weeks ago, and Cooney said his angles and speed were better in last week’s 45-22 win over West Aurora. The Panthers do carry some momentum from that game into this week.

“It’s been a carousel,” Cooney said. “It’s a physical sport, injuries happen, but we have not had injuries like this before, not at this rate.”

Clearly, Oswego’s focus at least on the defensive side will be containing Oswego East senior QB Tre Jones.

“He is a unique athlete, one that you can prepare for by watching film and trying to emulate in practice,” Cooney said, “but when you have that kind of spacial awareness and ability to move around the field most teams won’t be able to simulate that in practice. We’re going to have to contain him and on the offensive side hopefully we can establish a running game. Good things happen when you move the chains.”

LeBlanc, for his part, noted identifying Oswego tight end Deakon Tonielli, a Michigan recruit, as a priority. There also is the confidence that Oswego, which has won 16 of the teams’ 17 meetings, to consider.

“He’s a Big Ten kid, they are going to find ways to get Deakon involved. He’s a tough matchup a tough kid,” LeBlanc said. “Cruz [Ibarra] is a good quarterback and they’re Oswego. No matter what the records are, I’m sure this is a game they expect to win.”

Yorkville’s Davies walking the line

Yorkville senior Jake Davies has his own separate bag for game jerseys at away games, which is a good thing.

It’s no certainty what number is called.

Both Davies and fellow senior lineman Andrew Zook were given both tackle eligible and ineligible numbers at the start of the season. Zook has worn No. 34 in the past, No. 73 this season. In Davies’ case, he usually wears No. 44, and starts for the Foxes on the defensive line as well as tight end offensively.

Last Friday at Oswego East, though, Davies wore No. 70 and started at right tackle on offense for the first time this season.

“We told them the number they wear could differ on a week-by-week basis, and we try to game plan where they can have the biggest impact,” Yorkville coach Dan McGuire said. “With the defense Oswego East ran we felt he could make the biggest impact at offensive tackle. Offensively we got a little stagnant the last couple weeks and we needed a change of pace.”

It appears that the Foxes’ coaching staff called the right number. Junior running back Josh Gettemy ran for 252 yards, and Yorkville scored touchdowns on its first three drives of the second half to pull away to a 28-14 win.

“I felt as we watched film they got better and better as the game wore on,” said McGuire, who has started a different offensive line formation in every game.

McGuire said that opposing teams know that Davies is a good receiver, and sometimes they double team him to take him out of a game. That isn’t possible lining him up at right tackle. McGuire said the Foxes will continue to evaluate where they play guys like Davies on a week-to-week basis, but appreciates their flexibility and overall football IQ.

On Mondays the Yorkville coaching staff goes over with the players their plan for the week. McGuire said that in Davies and Zook’s case they are told to bring both jerseys on Fridays.

“Same thing with Zook, just trying to keep our options open,” McGuire said. “It’s a credit to those kids, that they’ll do whatever it takes to help the team. Tackle is not the most glamorous position but they’ll do whatever it takes.

“It was the first game Jake played there, but we had him do it some in practice and throughout the summer. With what we do the right tackle and tight end position are similar in terms of blocking so there is a lot of carryover depending on how you look at it. Having those guys up front won us the game.”

Plano’s Johnson tops 1,000 yards

Plano junior Waleed Johnson went over 1,000 yards rushing on the season last Friday, and it was a busy night as he had 28 carries for 222 yards and three touchdowns.

That kind of performance, of course, requires a group effort. Plano coach Rick Ponx was pleased with how his first-year starter worked in tandem with the line up front.

“He wasn’t making things happen on his own, wasn’t getting hit in the backfield and breaking tackles,” Ponx said. “He was getting to the linebackers and the second level. If you can get to that point untouched you know the line is doing something. They came together.”

With two games left, Johnson is at 1,125 yards, well in position to pass the 1,220 yards that Ray Jones had last season for Plano.

“There is a learning process, and he can always get better, but that’s what I like about him. He holds himself to a high standard and wants to get better,” Ponx said. “You tell him something once or twice and he tries to apply it to his game. He knows he can get better. Getting over 1,000 yards was important to him.”

Plano also had success passing the ball in the 40-14 win over Harvard on a limited basis, completing six passes for 210 yards. But Ponx said it was no secret that the Reapers planned on going to Johnson early and often against the Hornets.

“We knew that Waleed would take off and do well. Really our goal going in was for him to get to that 1,000 yard mark and he easily surpassed it,” Ponx said. “He carried the ball more than he has; we’ve been carrying around that 18 carry mark. We went into the game and said we’re going to feed him the ball. He did what he had to do, really was a lot more patient. Last couple years at times he’s been trying to do it on his own and he starts to rush. But that game he was patient, stayed behind his blockers and now he starts to see it more, to let something happen. He took advantage of it.”