Plainfield South holds off Joliet West, wins Southwest Prairie East title

JOLIET — Something had to give.

Joliet West entered Friday night’s Southwest Prairie Conference game against Plainfield South with a 4-4 overall record and 3-1 mark in the conference. A win would make the Tigers playoff eligible and secure a tie with the Cougars for the conference title.

Plainfield South, meanwhile, entered with a 5-3 record, including 4-0 in the conference. A win would mean an outright conference title and a much better seed in the upcoming playoffs.

It was a battle from the start, but in the end it was the South special teams that made the difference. The Cougars returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and held off the Tigers, 28-26, to capture the SPC East title, and also blocked an extra point after a Tiger touchdown.

“We take a lot of pride in our special teams,” South coach Bill Bicker said. “We spend 30 minutes on them every day in practice, because we know how important they are. And they came up big for us tonight.

“We knew coming in that this was going to be a battle. It’s a rivalry game, and we were both going for the conference title. They were trying to get into the playoffs, so it was an intense game.”

Joliet West held South to a three-and-out on the game’s opening possession, and then the Tigers’ Dylan Pongrazio blocked the punt and recovered at the South 5. Quarterback Carl Bew snuck in from the 1, and West claimed a quick 7-0 lead.

Neither offense did much the rest of the first quarter, but South caught fire in the second. Quarterback Connor Folliard hit Amarri Ford behind the West defense, and Ford outran the Tiger defense for a 60-yard touchdown to tie the game. After a West punt, the combo hooked up again, this time from 4 yards out, and the Cougars took a 14-7 lead.

“They were scheming to stop Brian [Stanton] and the run game, so that opened up opportunities for me to make big plays,” Ford said. “I put everything I have into the game for my teammates, and they do the same for me.

“We knew we could [win the conference title].”

South’s Joshua Cygan recovered his second fumble of the first half, but West’s Jarrett DelRose countered with an interception that he returned to the Tigers’ 48. Once again, Bew snuck in from 1 yard out after hitting Parker Schwarting for gains of 16 and 15 yards on the drive, tying the score at 14.

The tie didn’t last long, as South’s Sebastian Thomas grabbed a squibbed kickoff at the 31, turned the corner and raced 69 yards for a touchdown to give the Cougars a 21-14 lead, which they took into halftime. The Cougar defense withstood a late West drive that saw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-2 from the 5 as time expired.

“We threw the ball very well, in the first half especially,” Bicker said. “Connor Folliard made some great throws, and Amarri Ford, Caden Pierceall, Jamie Lawrenece and Sebastian Thomas all made big plays. Defensively, Josh Cygan made some big plays, and Zach Gray was a monster.”

West opened the third quarter with an 80-yard drive, culminating in a 6-yard TD run by Jovon Johnson, but South’s Liam Drapeau blocked the extra-point kick to preserve the Cougar lead at 21-20. Brian Stanton then returned the ensuing kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown to put South ahead 28-20.

“On that kick return, I just picked the ball up, saw an opening and ran,” Stanton said. “I trusted what I saw, and I trusted that my teammates would make the blocks.

“They were keying on me quite a bit, but I like to see my teammates go out there and make big plays. We’re ready for the second season.”

West was able to take advantage of back-to-back pass interference and personal foul penalties on South early in the fourth quarter, and ended the drive with a 12-yard run by Dante Morrow, Jr. The two-point conversion pass was incomplete, and the Tigers trailed, 28-26 with 10:19 to play.

The Tigers defense forced a punt, but South’s Dakota Kovach booted the kick to the West 19 with 7:40 to play. The Cougars defense held and forced a punt, taking over at their own 42 with 4:57 left.

West appeared to sack Folliard but was whistled for a facemask to keep the drive alive. Then on third-and-7, Stanton ran for an 11-yard gain for another Cougar first down at the Tigers’ 34 with 3:03 left.

South was able to get another first down and run out the clock for the conference title.

After being bottled up to the tune of nine carries for 0 yards in the first three quarters, Stanton carried six times for 37 in the fourth quarter when the Cougars needed the the most. Folliard finished with 188 yards and two touchdowns through the air, with Ford catching seven passes for 131 yards and both scores.

Joliet West finished 4-5 and just missed making the playoffs in coach Dan Tito’s first season.

“Plainfield South played great tonight, and congratulations to them and Coach Bicker on winning conference,” Tito said. “I am very proud of our players, especially the leadership of our seniors.

“Our players took a huge step in improving the culture and image of Joliet West football, and I am lucky to be their coach. We are very excited for next year and our bright future.”