Fueled by turnovers, Yorkville bests Plainfield South, 28-12

Foxes move to 2-1 on the season

Plainfield South quarterback Connor Folliard (4) gets a pass off with pressure from blitzing Yorkville defensive back Blake Kersting (40) during a varsity football game at Yorkville High School on Friday.

YORKVILLE – Andrew Laurich caused a fumble and scored a touchdown, and Andrew Garton had a pick-six as Yorkville forced five turnovers, turning three into scores during a 28-12 win Friday, Sept. 10, over Plainfield South at Campbell Field.

“The biggest thing we’ve been preaching is just staying disciplined and having all 11 guys playing solid football,” Laurich said. “Everyone was doing their job tonight.”

Something was awry with the defense or Plainfield South’s Brian Stanton (15 carries, 205 yards) was simply that good when the junior blasted up the middle for a 94-yard touchdown run with 3:53 left in the opening quarter to give the Cougars an early 6-0 advantage.

“He’s amazing. I say the kid is a warrior,” Cougars coach Bill Bicker said. “He had a heck of a game, and he’s in tears because we lose and it means something to him. Any coach in the world would die to have this kid on their team, and I’m the lucky one to get him.”

Plainfield South running back Brian Stanton (right) got just enough forward progress to avoid a safety, as Yorkville defenders Ben Alvarez (left) and Hunter Janeczko (43) stuff him at the line during a varsity football game at Yorkville High School on Friday.

Getting and keeping him off the field proved to be the difference for the Foxes (2-1). They forced turnovers to achieve that after first taking a 7-6 lead on Gio Zeman’s 23-yard run just seconds before the first quarter ended.

On the second play of the second quarter, Andrew Garton picked off sophomore quarterback Connor Folliard and returned it 35 yards for the touchdown and a 14-6 lead.

“I was kind of in an adrenaline rush after I caught it,” Garton said. “I saw the guy roll across and saw the quarterback roll out and then saw the big rush going, and he lobbed the ball up, so I knew it was going to happen, so I caught it and took it.”

The Cougars (1-2) hurt themselves by coughing up the ball again, this time because of the pressure of a hard-charging Laurich who rushed Folliard, causing him to lose the ball. A few plays later, Laurich was rewarded for his efforts as he plowed in for the 1-yard touchdown with 10:48 left in the first half.

“They were running down block after down block, so coach called a pinch call for me to go inside and take an inside route,” Laurich said. “I didn’t get touched and was going to tackle him, and it was like he saw me and just fumbled the ball.”

Yorkville running back Gio Zeman (32) gets past Plainfield South safety Liam Drapeau on way to a touchdown during a varsity football game at Yorkville High School on Friday.

Johnny Bailey’s 2-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, which was set up by an amazing 67-yard run by Stanton, had the Cougars thinking about a comeback while down 21-12. It was a short-lived, however, as Yorkville sophomore Ben Alvarez snagged his second interception of the game, ending a drive and providing the Foxes with excellent field position. Sophomore Kendall Smith would later power his 270-pound frame forward for a 1-yard touchdown with only 3:48 left to play.

“We feel like we’ve got some impact players on our defensive line, and I felt like those kids played really well today,” Foxes coach Dan McGuire said. ”When you put pressure on people, sometimes those mistakes happen.”

While it’s tough to compete when you turn the ball over as often as the Cougars did, Bicker credited the Foxes for forcing those mistakes.

Yorkville defensive back Andrew Garton (5) advances an interception past Plainfield South wide receiver Aiden Sliwa (right) during a varsity football game at Yorkville High School on Friday.

“Yorkville had a great defensive game plan and made great adjustments throughout the game on how we came out and played,” he said. “I was very impressed with that, so they did a heck of a job.

“Sometimes the other team does a lot of things right, and [Yorkville] did a lot of things right tonight.”