Sports
Raiders Football Coach Embraces Playoff Push
The Bolingbrook football team needs just one win to secure a playoff spot. But with a tough remaining schedule, that win could be hard to come by.
The Bolingbrook High School football team needs just one more win to clinch a playoff spot.
With three games remaining on the Raiders' regular season schedule, one would think Bolingbrook is made in the shade.
Think again.
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Of the team's final three games, two are against two of the Southwest Suburban Blue Conference's offensive powerhouses—Lincoln-Way East and Sandburg.
Raiders head coach John Ivlow said he is thankful to have three shots at sealing the deal.
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"We're lucky we got our four (wins) early. We've got three more chances to get one. And it's going to come down to the wire, you watch," Ivlow said.
Lopsided games are fun to watch, especially for the team lighting up the scoreboard. But Ivlow gets a kick when his team gets into games of the grind 'em out fashion.
Before the team's most recent 19-6 loss to Homewood-Flossmoor—a loss that snapped a three-game winning streak—the Raiders had beaten their prior two opponents by a combined score of 80-26.
Ivlow is approaching the remaining schedule with a full head of steam.
"This is the fun part of the season. It's not fun winning 40-0," Ivlow said. "I like these close games. Let's get after it and let's play some football."
Bolingbrook looks to begin a new streak Friday when it travels to Lincoln-Way East.
The Griffins are the only undefeated team remaining in the conference and boast the conference's most potent offense, having scored 203 points in six games this season.
Lincoln-Way East also owns the conference's best point differential—averaging a shade more than 34 points per game, while allowing just 16 points per contest.
And it isn't exactly smooth sailing for the Raiders once their tilt with the Griffins is over.
Bolingbrook's next game is an Oct. 15 home-bout against the 4-2 Sandburg Eagles, who were defeated by Lincoln-Way East a week ago by a score of 30-14, but have two 40-point games under their belt. This season, Sandburg has outscored its opponents 203-102 this season.
But that does not intimidate Bolingbrook's football team, which remains on the brink of qualifying for a playoff spot.
