Record Newspapers football notes: Oswego East leans heavily on 1-2 backfield punch to get big win

Tyson LeBlanc borrowed from a coaching legend’s playbook in Oswego East’s win at Oswego last Friday.

He rode his two horses all night.

LeBlanc, Oswego East’s coach, said he listened to long-time Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin coach Ken Leonard talk at a clinic a few years back. Leonard showed some clips of a team of his whose quarterback wore No. 5 and best receiver was No. 9.

“He said ‘That year we ran the 59 offense. No. 5 and No. 9 all night,’” LeBlanc said after the Oswego game. “Tonight you saw No. 9 or No. 23, or whatever you want to call it.”

Call it a winning formula.

The Wolves hitched their wagon to the 1-2 running combo of Tre Jones and Oshobi Odior, and they carried home a 35-21 win that sent Oswego East to the playoffs and in the process eliminated Oswego.

Jones, a senior QB, ran wild for a school single-game record 255 yards and four touchdowns on 14 carries. Odior, after missing six weeks with an ankle injury, went for 88 yards on 16 carries and the go-ahead score.

Of Oswego East’s first 34 offensive plays from scrimmage, 30 were either Jones or Odior runs. Whether it was the sledgehammer of the 244-pound Odior between the tackles or the roadrunner Jones in the open field on the outside, Oswego had no answer.

“I knew after my comeback me and Tre were going to have that connection and there was going to be no stopping us,” Odior said.

Odior’s return cannot be overstated.

A third-year varsity player, he was Oswego East’s leading tackler at linebacker as a junior. Odior ran for 119 yards in the Wolves’ season-opening win. With his threat back in the backfield, opposing defenses can’t sell out to stop Jones, a dynamic running threat. Odior was sorely missed for six weeks.

“Aside from just his presence as one of the leaders of the program, what he brings from a physicality standpoint, it gives our O-line confidence and makes it tough for the defense,” LeBlanc said. “He’s not an easy guy to bring down. You got an opportunity to see how that opened things up offensively. The biggest thing with him is you don’t get negative plays. If you don’t get negative plays that confidence as a group grows.”

As for his plans for Odior going into this Friday’s game at Plainfield North and into the playoffs, LeBlanc wasn’t showing his cards. Odior clearly can have an impact on both sides of the ball when right, though.

“It’s hard to say, it really depends on how he feels, not just with Plainfield North but moving forward into the playoffs. We may need him on that side of the ball [defensively],” LeBlanc said. “I told him going into the game last week I said ‘Listen man I need you to play four quarters of football. If you feel you’re getting tired let us know.’ It’s a situation that just his presence out there makes a difference.”

Yorkville’s disciplined defense

Yorkville’s 7-0 win over Minooka last Friday was the Foxes’ fourth shutout of the season. That’s a sign of talent, and the Foxes’ front seven is indeed as good as it gets.

It’s also a testament to that group’s smarts.

Yorkville coach Dan McGuire noted Minooka’s effectiveness running screens to its running backs and receivers. The Indians basically beat the Foxes on a screen pass last season. Minooka hit a screen for a long touchdown pass in a win over Oswego East.

“When you have a defensive line as well known as ours is, a screen is a good way to defeat that group of linemen,” McGuire said. “Moreso this past week than any week, our guys’ discipline was evident. It’s easy to run to the backfield to try to get sacks. They were disciplined enough to wait at the line of scrimmage for receivers and running backs.”

McGuire referred back to a fourth-down play that Minooka tried to run a screen, perhaps a double screen. Yorkville had both sides covered, forcing the quarterback to throw the ball away.

“To make somebody do that on fourth down is pretty amazing. None of our kids was undisciplined going to the quarterback,” McGuire said. “It might have been one of the best games I’ve seen as far as discipline by our linebackers and the line.”

While seven points is hardly an offensive explosion, McGuire was pleased with how that group was able to finish the game off.

“We got the ball back with four minutes and change left and we didn’t give Minooka the ball back,” McGuire said. “We didn’t score a lot of points but we played good complementary football, didn’t turn the ball over. To milk the clock at the end of the game was a big deal for us, especially in a one-score game.”

A bright future in Sandwich

When Sandwich made the decision to cancel varsity football in 2022 because of low numbers, it made for a disappointing present.

The future, though, appears quite bright.

Sandwich’s fresh-soph team this fall, 33 kids strong, is 7-1 going into Week 9 after a 51-0 win over Genoa-Kingston on Tuesday. And putting up huge numbers.

A 32-27 win over Geneseo in the season opener set the tone for the season. From there Sandwich beat Peotone 39-6, Plano 49-16, Johnsburg 37-0 and Riverside-Brookfield 51-0. After the Indians’ lone loss, 26-14 to an unbeaten Rochelle team, they came back to beat Marengo 65-14 and Genoa-Kingston. Sandwich plays Woodstock North in Week 9.

“It’s a tremendously talented group,” Sandwich coach Kris Cassie said. “I’m excited to see what they can do.”

Cassie cites Quinn Rome, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound tight end/defensive end, middle linebacker Jimmy Ramey, “6-foot 175 pounds of pure animal” and freshman Jeffrey Ashley, a freshman who might be the strongest kid in the program.

“He’s a workout warrior,” Cassie said. “He routinely squats north of 300 pounds.”

Running back Simieon Harris has rushed for 843 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 48 carries behind a big offensive line.

“The key is going to be keeping them committed to the weight room, committed to the classroom and keeping them moving forward,” Cassie said. “They want to bring the varsity program back, and they want to have good success.”