Welcome to the Halloween edition of Friday Night Live! here in Bolingbrook.
The first round of the IHSA Class 8A playoffs begin tonight and The Brook Blog will be here to detail what happens as the undefeated Bolingbrook Raiders take on Curie of the Chicago Public League.
The Condors (5-4) have never won a state playoff game in school history. Curie earned its at-large berth with a 15-14 win over King last week, erasing a nine-point deficit with three minutes to play and winning on a 33-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining.
Bolingbrook (9-0) completed the third undefeated regular season in program history last week to earn the top seed in the lower bracket of Class 8A.
The kickoff is at 7 p.m. We will get started around 6 p.m.
For those interested in how Bolingbrook's first-round opponent came to become eligible for an at-large berth into the Class 8A football playoffs, here's the skinny.
Curie (5-4) overcame a nine-point deficit in the final three minutes to beat King 15-14 in the Public League playoffs. But it gets better.
The winning points came on a 33-yard field goal with nine seconds left in the game. But that's not all.
Kicker Dominic Kozlowski had not attempted a field goal all season. Seriously. I'm not making this stuff up.
The Bolingbrook Raiders football team found out on Monday afternoon that their first-round playoff game with Curie (5-4) will start at 7 p.m. on Friday.
In the lower bracket of the IHSA Class 8A tournament, in which undefeated Bolingbrook is the No. 1 seed, there are two games on Saturday. Defending state champion Naperville North (9-0) will play Simeon at 5 p.m. at Benedictine University, and No. 5 seed Brother Rice will host Sandburg at 7 p.m.
In the upper bracket, there are five games on Saturday, including No. 1 seed Maine South (9-0), which will host Stevenson at 1 p.m.
Bolingbrook student Nick Ficarrotta is a self-confessed high school football junkie, who in addition to attending every Bolingbrook Raiders football game has taken the time to check out some of the other powers in Class 8A. This post is his breakdown of the playoff pairings announced on Saturday.
It's the beginning of a whole new season for high school football fans. With the brackets being announced Saturday, Bolingbrook has clinched the number one seed in the lower bracket and is to face Chicago Curie in the first round at home.
However it wasn't just the Bolingbrook side of the bracket that caught my eye.
Last week, after Bolingbrook won at Sandburg to clinch the Southwest Suburban Blue title, I decided to take a road trip the next day to see two other undefeated teams face off in what was to be a very interesting day.
In a twist of fate, the Raiders could face Downers Grove South (7-2) in the second round. Bolingbrook beat South 21-20 in the first week of the season.
In order for that to happen, Downers South, the West Suburban Gold champion, must get past Hinsdale Central (7-2).
Bolingbrook (9-0) is in the lower draw of the Class 8A bracket. The No. 2 seed in the lower draw is defending state champion Naperville North (9-0), which will play Chicago Simeon (6-3) in the first round. The two unedfeated teams would face each other in the semifinals if both advance that far.
On the top end of the Class 8A bracket, Sun-Times No. 1 Maine South (9-0) got a No. 2 seed and will face Stevenson (5-4). Bartlett (9-0) is the top seed in the top draw and will face Notre Dame (5-4).
Sun-Times No. 1 Maine South (8-0) hosts Niles West (3-5) today at 1 p.m.
Bartlett (8-0), which needs to win to clinch its first undefeated Upstate Eight title, had its game at East Aurora (2-6) postponed last night due to lightning. They will play today at 11 a.m.
So the Raiders may be the overall No. 1 seed when the IHSA announces the Class 8A pairings at 8:45 p.m. Maybe not. I'm not going to try to figure out all the different possibilities when one of the official methods of assignment is "random selection by computer."
Ivlow said he won't be logged on to his laptop or watching his television tonight.
"We'll start working on that on Sunday," Ivlow said. "I got a few parties to go to (Saturday), so I'm just going to enjoy friends and family."
LOCKPORT -- Welcome to the regular season finale of Friday Night Live! coming to you from the cozy comforts of the press box here at Lockport High School.
The Bolingbrook Raiders will attempt to close out an undefeated regular season, which would be the third 9-0 mark in school history. Lockport (4-4) needs to beat Bolingbrook in order to get playoff eligible.
We will get started around 6:45 p.m. If the rain shower that is dampening the sophomore game lets up, then we will be out there mingling with the people. If it doesn't, then we will be out there mingling with the people, but we will be soaked. A dry Brook Blog is a happy Brook Blog.
The Bolingbrook at Lockport football game on Friday is one of four games up for consideration as the Walgreens Game of the Week.
If you want WLFD Fox Chicago to cover the Raiders as they attempt post an undefeated regular season, go to http://media.myfoxchicago.com/foxjox/voting.html at vote. The voting will end at 5 p.m. on Thursday.
You can also text "one" to 36932 to vote for the Bolingbrook at Lockport game.
Currently, the Bolingbrook game has a slight lead over Prospect at Elk Grove. Barrington at Conant is a distant third and Evergreen Park at Eisenhower is last.
About a half hour before Bolingbrook's 33-7 win at Sandburg began on Friday night, John Seigler found out that he would be starting in place of Jamel Martin at running back.
Martin, the team's leading rusher, injured his left ankle a week ago during the Brook's win over Lincoln-Way East. He was dressed for the game and went through warmups, but coach John Ivlow decided to hold Martin out as a precaution.
"I thought it was fine," Martin said about his ankle. "He didn't want me to play. I trust him on that."
As it turned out, the Raiders (8-0) did just fine without Martin as Seigler rushed for 168 yards and scored two touchdowns to help Bolingbrook wrap up its second Southwest Suburban Conference Blue championship in a row. The senior made several highlight reel runs, but most of his efforts were tough between the tackles bursts.
"I think by far this is probably my best game," Seigler said. "I got bruises to show it. I just kept running hard and my feet just stayed up. I was like, 'oh shoot.' I just kept running."
The Raiders hadn't played on a wet natural grass field since week two at Eisenhower. In that game, Seigler started in place of Martin, who was held out of the first quarter because of a violation of team rules. Seigler, who also had a 100-yard performance in that game, said the field conditions were better at Eisenhower.
"Out here it was more muddy," Seigler said. "So I knew I didn't have any moves. I just had to run hard and just get pound for pound."
Welcome to Friday Night Live! here in Orland Park tonight as the Bolingbrook Raiders football team tries to stay undefeated and lock up the Southwest Suburban Conference championship against Sandburg (6-1).
We will get started around 6:45 p.m. Your comments are not just welcome, but encouraged. If you have a question, ask it. If you read or see something that is wrong or just silly, point it out.
The Raiders remained unbeaten at 7-0, took control of the Southwest Suburban Blue and beat a highly ranked opponent.
Another way of looking at it is to say, it's not a big deal. Strictly from a number of wins standpoint at least, winning game No. 7 doesnt exactly make the Earth shake in Bolingbrook.
The Raiders have now won at least seven games in 17 of the last 24 seasons. So, you know, congratulations guys. You're at par.
Welcome to our fourth Friday Night Live! of the season, which has all the makings of the best game of the season. It it certainly a pivotal matchup between the undefeated powers in the Southwest Suburban Blue: The Bolingbrook Raiders (6-0) and the Lincoln-Way East Griffins (6-0).
A capacity crowd is expected tonight in Bolingbrook. Earlier in the week, the Bolingbrook athletic department announced that it would close the gates once the bleachers were at capacity. So follow along as the Raiders and Griffins duke it out in this cage match.
After several weeks of sleeping through opponents, and last week's wakeup at Lincoln-Way Central, the Bolingbrook Raiders football team has arrived at the game which will define its season. There will be other games that follow it, but none that will be viewed as crucial.
Beat Lincoln-Way East and the Raiders are in control of the Southwest Suburban Conference Blue Division. Beat Lincoln-Way East and the Raiders take the first step toward a historic season and away from a good one.
There isn't anything that coach John Ivlow can tell his players that will make them more aware of the importance of this game. They know. We know.
"We're not going to have to do anything," Ivlow said. "It's already been done. They're 6-0. We're 6-0. That part is done."
Kyle Jakubek is the offensive line coach for the Bolingbrook Raiders varsity football team. Jakubek, who is the third Raiders football coach to write for The Brook Blog, used to coach at Lincoln-Way East.
It's almost Friday night in Bolingbrook and everybody is up for this game.
Where do I start talking about Friday night's football game with the Raiders of Bolingbrook High School (6-0), squaring off against the Griffins of Lincoln-Way East High School (6-0)?
When you look at this game on paper you would think this is a quarterfinal or semifinal round game, but it's not. It's only a week 7 game!
Even though this is only a regular season game there is still a lot that is at stake for both teams. For starters, the winner of this game controls their playoff fate. The winner will likely go undefeated and be the number one or two seeded team in the southern half of the I.H.S.A. playoffs bracket.
The boys soccer regional first-rounder on Oct. 17 between the Bolingbrook Raiders and Romeoville will be at 4:30 p.m., according to tournament host and Bolingbrook athletic director Alec Anderson.
If the Raiders can beat Romeoville, they will play Naperville North on Oct. 20 in the semifinals of the IHSA Class 3A Bolingbrook Regional. That game will also start at 4:30 p.m.
The championship match will be Oct. 24 at 4 p.m. The Bolingbrook football team has road games on both Oct. 17 at Sandburg and Oct. 24 at Lockport.
With Lockport on the other side of the regional bracket, it could work out that the Bolingbrook boys soccer team is playing Lockport for the regional title at Bolingbrook a few hours before the Raiders football team plays at Lockport in its regular season finale.
Those wanting to see the Bolingbrook vs. Lincoln-Way East undefeated showdown from inside the stadium on Friday night, better get the rules right and better get there early.
Bolingbrook's athletic department posted a notice Wednesday on its page at athletics2000.com saying "Since an extremely large crowd is expected for this game, it is suggested that you arrive early because once the stadium has reached capacity in terms of spectators, the gates will be closed and no one will be allowed in."
Awesome. A steel cage match for Southwest Suburban supremacy.
There will be overflow parking at Independence School with a shuttle service. Also, all elementary school and middle school students must be accompanied by their parent/guardian, not an older sibling.
The Brook Blog is excited to announce that we will stage our first session of Raiders Roundtable on Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Raiders Roundtable will be a weekly live chat that provides a discussion forum about Bolingbrook Raiders athletics. It's for fans. It's for students. It's for parents. It's for anyone who wants to voice their opinion about the Raiders.
In last week's Sun and a couple times in The Brook Blog, we mentioned that the Bolingbrook Raiders defense had not given up a touchdown in 12 quarters. That is almost accurate.
The touchdown I thought Morgan Park scored in the fourth quarter of Bolingbrook's 29-21 win in week three was actually scored in the third quarter. And since it was on a punt return, that doesn't count either. Just like the fumble recovery Lincoln-Way North scored three weeks ago doesn't count against the Raiders defense.
So what I believe the official streak to be is 15 quarters without a touchdown. I'm basing that on memory and a quick Google search. As we all remember, the Raiders were down 9-0 and 15-6 to Morgan Park. I believe those leads were established in the first quarter.
If not, then it's a 14 quarter streak without allowing a touchdown. Either way, it's good.
The Bolingbrook Buccaneers lost in the first round of the Mid-States Football League playoffs on Sunday, not that you'd know from the team's Web site, which was still celebrating the team making the playoffs.
Bolingbrook lost 27-0 to the Chicago Thunder, which are the defending MSFL champs. A few weeks earlier, the Thunder beat the Buccaneers 45-0. So this was a better showing.
Bolingbrook (6-0, 2-0 SWSC) shut out Joliet Township last week 48-0 and beat Lincoln-Way North 47-7 in week four. The only score for Lincoln-Way North in that game came when Bolingbrook fumbled and a Phoenix defender returned it for a touchdown.
David Boatright, DeMarcus Calvin and Alex McNulty all had interceptions in the second half on Friday. McNulty's fourth interception of the year was impressive and definitive.
When McNulty caught the ball he was falling backward toward the turf. When he got up, the Raiders had a two-score lead with 3:18 to play in the game.
"We build off each other and keep making plays," junior linebacker Mike Hellams said.
Hellams made some nice plays against the run. When he greeted the running back in the hole, they got popped. He was making plays at and behind the line of scrimmage.
Come on in and take a look. This is week three for Friday Night Live! and our first road trip, to blustery, colder-than-I-prepared for New Lenox. The undefeated Bolingbrook Raiders will be the guests here at Jonas R. Lashmet Field for homecoming, a week after the Knights (4-1) were smashed in a crosstown with Lincoln-Way East (5-0).
We will get started around 6:30 p.m. with some pregame ramblings and some photos.
Yes the Buccaneers entered last weekend's game winless on the season. Yes, there are only nine teams in the MSFL. Yes, their victory was all it took for the Buccaneers to qualify for the playoffs.
Awesomeness all around. Only the Lake County (Ind.) Steelers will not be participating in the playoffs thanks to the 26-0 drubbing our Buccaneers put on them. In your face Steelers!
What's confusing to me the average reader is that the official MSFL standing show that Bolingbrook has two wins. Maybe that win over Lake County was worth two.
