Plainfield Central Must Tackle Two Opponents in Friday Night's Game

For Plainfield Central, one opponent will be barking at the line of scrimmage. Another will be creeping into the collective mindset of the Wildcats.

"The only thing we have to fight now is the concept of despair," Central coach John Jackson said on the eve of the Wildcats' 7 p.m. home game Friday vs. district rival Plainfield North.

The Tigers (2-1, 1-0) enter with a two-game win streak and the knowledge that their offense hit a new gear following the return of running back Kapri Bibbs. He scored six touchdowns in a 49-24 victory over Grant.

Central (0-3, 0-1) hasn't scored six touchdowns all season. Nor has the schedule been particularly kind to the Wildcats. Their three losses have come to teams – Lyons Township, Marist and Minooka – that boast a combined record of 9-0.

"Sometimes that kind of sets in – frustration – even though you're improving, you're not seeing that in the 'W' column," Jackson said. "That can be kind of disheartening for kids. You're not dealing with adult men here. And, heck, even with adult men, that's going to be an issue as well."

The Wildcats will look toward senior fullback Rashaun Sowell to carry his share of the load in the run game and the psychology department. He is not loud, but he sets an example for his teammates with his work ethic in practice.

And he has been productive. He rushed for 135 yards in Central's 31-6 loss to Marist and leads the Wildcats with more than 300 yards on the ground through three weeks. He played in a backup role as junior behind ex-Wildcat standout Alonzo Morgan.

"Yeah, Alonzo taught me a lot," Sowell said. "He was a really hard worker, so it got me my mentality to work hard every play, every second. That's why in the off-season I took my mentality to another level.

"I try to get all my teammates to work hard. If we work hard, we can just keep getting better. It's a lot of frustration that we're losing. People start to give up. I just tell them, 'Keep going.' We've played three hard teams, but that's no excuse for losing.

"We've just got to come to practice every day and get better."

North vs. Central is one of four games on the Southwest Prairie Conference schedule. Following is a rundown with Ron Kremer's winning picks:

1.     Plainfield North (2-1, 1-0) vs. Plainfield Central (0-3, 0-1): Since Kapri Bibbs returned, the Tigers have outscored their opponents 96-30. They'll have to work harder to maintain that pace vs. the Wildcats. North 21, Central 12.

2.     Minooka (3-0, 1-0) at Plainfield East (1-2, 0-1): The Indians are led by their quarterback, senior Mitch Brozovich, a threat to run or pass. Kyle Banks rushed for 141 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 27-7 win over Plainfield Central last week. Minooka 31, Plainfield East 6.

3.     Oswego (1-2, 1-0) vs. Oswego East (1-2, 0-1): The Wolves have allowed an average of 38.3 points. The Panthers put 61 up on Romeoville last week. The bells and whistles on the scoreboard could be ringing here like in an old pinball machine. Tilt. Oswego 42, Oswego East 24.

4.     Plainfield South (3-0, 1-0) vs. Romeoville (1-2, 0-1): This takes on the look of a track meet. Speed vs. Speed. The Cougars can run with anyone. Plainfield South 27, Romeoville 14.

Last week's record: Kremer 3-1 (.750 percentage).