CN100 Game of the Week preview: Football Week 9 - Bloom Township vs. Rich East

PARK FOREST – These are heady times around the Bloom football program.
The Blazing Trojans (7-1, 4-0) have already won a share of the Southland Conference title for the first time in seven years. A win Saturday over Rich East would give them their first outright conference crown in 30 years.
Meanwhile, Rich East sits at 5-3 in the midst of a three-game losing streak needing a win to guarantee a playoff berth. They will settle it at noon Saturday in a game broadcast by CN100. The game can be seen at Noon and 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26, and at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28, on The Comcast Network. You can also find the game throughout Chicagoland with Xfinity On Demand.
The key for Bloom has been dual-threat senior quarterback Jordan Benavides, with 703 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions passing, while also rushing for 831 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The Williams twins, both seniors, have been big parts of the Blazing Trojans’ success, as well. Emmanual has rushed for 795 yards and 11 touchdowns while adding nine receptions for 130 yards and two more scores. Raphael leads the team with 13 catches for 266 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, senior linebacker Kyle Pugh paces the team with 92 tackles and four fumble recoveries.
“They are a talented team on both sides of the ball,” Rich East coach Barry Reade said. “They are executing very well on offense and flying around on defense.”
Bloom has won six straight games, including an 8-7 win over Crete-Monee three weeks ago. That was Crete’s first conference loss since 2007, a span of 34 games.
Rich East (5-3, 1-3) was feeling great after five weeks, jumping out to a 5-0 record for the first time since 1997. A 14-13 loss to Rich South started the skid, followed by a humbling 34-0 loss to Crete-Monee and a 34-22 loss to Kankakee last week.
“Mistakes, turnovers, not finishing blocks, not finishing tackles,” were the reasons Reade rattled off for the losing streak.
The three-headed monster of running backs Marcel McDonald, Kendall Miller and Brian Stewart keyed the offense during the 5-0 start, with quarterback Latrell Burden triggering the offense.
Rich East is projected as the 27th seed in Class 4A going into the final week of the regular season. The top 32 will reach the postseason. There 44 teams that are still alive at 4-4 or better, so the Rockets may be on the outside looking in with a 5-4 record based on playoff points.

- Paul Johnson, CN100 Correspondent

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