Because senior Alfonzo Sylvester attended Curie as a freshman, Bolingbrook Raiders football coach John Ivlow left it up to Sylvester to decide which jerseys the Raiders would wear on Friday night.
Sylvester picked red jerseys to go with black pants and black socks, and the Raiders swamped Curie 62-13 in the first round of the IHSA Class 8A playoffs.
"Red's my favorite color so I just like playing in red," Sylvester said. "I picked all black from the pants to the socks becuase we've never done that before. We've never worn that in any game, any home game, any away game."
His childhood friends Sam Altman, Rashad Faulk and Anthony McKinley were key to Curie's success this season as evidenced on Friday night when Altman returned a kickoff for an 89-yard touchdown in the second half. They also had plenty to say to Sylvester leading up to the game.
"It was a tough loss (for them), but they was talking stuff the whole week," Sylvester said. "I told them it was going to happen, but it's a tough loss for them."
Up Next
The top-seeded Raiders (10-0) will travel to Hinsdale Central (8-2) next week for the second round. The IHSA will announce the time and date of that game on Monday afternoon.
Hinsdale Central absolutely ripped Downers Grove South on Friday night, winning 46-12 in a game where Downers South scored twice in the final two minutes.
Bolingbrook will need to key an eye on Red Devils quarterback John Whitelaw, who accounted for four touchdowns. Whitelaw rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns and was 11 of 13 passing for 197 yards and another two TDs.
During the regular season, the Red Devils lost their first game of the season 28-27 in overtime to Wheaton Warrenville South and the season finale 9-0 to Glenbard West. Both were No. 1 seeds in Class 7A.
In between their losses to teams with a combined regular-season record of 17-1, the Red Devils posted a seven-game winning streak, including wins over playoff teams Downers Grove North and York.
Don't Feel Guilty
While it got kind of ugly for Curie on Friday night -- the Condors never sustained a drive and allowed eight offensive touchdowns -- the Raiders shouldn't feel bad about blowing out the team from the Chicago Public League.
It's a lot better to do a team 62-13 than to be WW South. The Tigers lost a shocker to Downers North, 8-7, and have gone from undefeated two weeks ago to 8-2 and on the outside looking in Class 7A.
It's also a better way to handle business than the way Class 8A's other top seed Bartlett went about things on Friday. The Hawks improved to 10-0 as well, but had to scrape past Notre Dame.
Busy Day
Coach Ivlow told The Brook Blog that he would head to Joliet Memorial Stadium after this morning's practice to see University of St. Francis take on McKendree at noon. He will get a chance to watch four of his former players -- Javon Stewart, Markus Hood, Mike Vazquez and Sammie Sabbah -- as the Saints try improve to 7-2.
(Stewart is second on the team in all-purpose yards, second in scoring and third in total offense. The sophomore running back has rushed for 521 yards and four touchdowns and caught 11 passes for 78 yards with one score.
Hood has 13 catches for 164 yards and three TDs. Vazquez, a junior defensive back, has 29 tackles (23 solo) to go with two fumble recoveries and an interception.)
After that, Ivlow said he would be heading to Benedictine University to catch defending state champion and potential semifinal opponent Naperville North (9-0) take on Simeon at 5 p.m.
As if that wasn't enough, Ivlow said he will be taking in a night of professional wrestling somewhere in the Joliet area. That is a full day.
Injury Update
Junior defensive tackle Brandon Tucker was not wearing a sling on Friday, which is a good sign that he is progressing well in his recovery from the torn labrum and separated left shoulder he suffered two weeks ago at Sandburg.
He told The Brook Blog that he went to see a doctor on Thursday and was given permission to begin limited practice this week. His range of motion and strength are returning, but Tucker will not be able to play in the second round.
"I should be ready for that third round," said Tucker, who is tied for the team lead with four sacks.
Junior defensive back Maurice Armstead played on Friday after missing two weeks with a high ankle sprain. He told The Brook Blog that he had no pain in the ankle, but wasn't quite back to game shape as far as conditioning. That will improve this week.
"Oh yeah," Armstead said. "It will be 100 percent."
Out for the season is junior Karlton Sellers, who has a broken fibula in his left ankle. Sellers, who will have his cast removed in four weeks, said he broke the bone during practice on Columbus Day.
Still Stingy
The Bolingbrook defense didn't give Curie a lot to work with, continuing a season-long trend of allowing limited returns for the opposing offense.
The Raiders allowed less than 120 total yards -- 71 in the first half when they forced five punts -- and forced three turnovers. When you consider that 57 of those first half yards came on one play, it shows the Raiders were really on their game.
Brandon Westphal and Marcus Daniels had interceptions that led to touchdowns, and linebacker Mat Sapone scooped up a fumble and rumbled for the team's second defensive touchdown of the season.
"I was so shocked there was nobody in front of me and I just ran like hell and did my best to score," Sapone said.
Bolingbrook now has forced 35 turnovers on the season compared to 14 giveaways, improving an already great turnover margin to plus-21. The secret to the Brook success?
"Teamwork and great chemistry," Westphal said.
Ivlow's Mohawk
He promised his players that he would get a mohawk if they beat all three Lincoln-Way schools, and after letting his normally short hair grow out a few weeks, Ivlow paid up and got his mowhawk.
For a few looks at his new cut, check out this photo gallery.
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