Football: Hoosman, Plainfield North leap into Round 2 of playoffs

PLAINFIELD – Everyone wearing a Highland Park jersey was well aware what Plainfield North running back Tyler Hoosman can do on a football field.

They may not have known about that giant "S" on his chest, however.

Hoosman added the exclamation point during Saturday afternoon's Class 7A first-round playoff game, performing his Superman impression as he leaped and somersaulted over a Giants' defender to get into the end zone and click on the running clock as North rolled to a 42-0 victory.

That marked the first playoff win in the first postseason home game for the Tigers, who had been 0-5 in playoff games.

Hoosman took a pass in the flat from Brady Miller and turned on the jets down the sideline. A long jumper in track, his instincts took over as he completed an 18-yard scoring play for his third touchdown. He rushed for 138 yards in 21 carries and caught three passes for 43.

"I had to do something to get in the end zone," Hoosman explained. "That was the second one that I've had like that this year. The other one was against Minooka, where I had to leap over a guy to score. But this one was the highest and biggest."

"I sure did teach him that," North coach Tim Kane joked. "He still hasn't gotten as high as me. But, no, he deserves everything that comes his way."

That is being said of all the Tigers (8-2), who will visit Bradley (10-0), the No. 1 seed in 7A, next weekend. Saturday's shellacking was as close to textbook performance as a playoff team can produce.

For example, North drove to touchdowns on four of its first five possessions and led, 28-0, at halftime. To that point, the Tigers sported a 282-25 edge in total yards and a 15-1 advantage in first downs. Highland Park (7-3), the 17th seed while North is No. 16, never was in the game.

Kevin Block's 38-yard punt return to the Giants' 14 set up Hoosman's 14-yard scoring run to open the third quarter, and the SportsCenter-worthy somersault that made it 42-0 came on the subsequent possession with 4:12 left in the quarter. So the final 16 minutes flew by.

"We got off to a good start in the first half," Kane said. "Our offensive line did a real nice job in the protection and run-blocking phases, and Tyler [Hoosman] ran hard. No doubt this was a great playoff victory, the first time winning and first time at home. I'm happy for these kids."

Kane's son TJ Kane turned a pass over the middle from Miller into a beautiful 34-yard catch-and-run scoring play to get North on the board with 9:38 left in the first quarter. The Tigers marched 64 yards in their next possession, with Hoosman scoring from the 1 for a 14-0 lead.

Then it was speedy Dillon McCarthy's turn. He took a pitchout and raced 27 yards around right end to make it 21-0 on the first play of the second quarter. The first-half onslaught ended with Miller's 15-yard strike to a wide-open Connor Peplow.

Miller finished 12 of 18 for 185 yards and three scores. Kane, McCarthy and Peplow joined Hoosman with three receptions each. Peplow converted all six extra-point kicks.

"We have a lot of weapons on offense, and Dillon McCarthy is one of them," Hoosman said. "He is helping me a lot, the way he spells me."

On the other side of the ball, North pitched its fourth shutout in the last five games. The Tigers have allowed seven points total in that span.

Saturday's shutout almost didn't happen. In the second half, McCarthy, a regular at safety, caught up to Highland Park receiver D.J. Westbrook at the 1-yard line, on the tail end of a 45-yard pass play. He managed to strip the ball, and it rolled into the end zone and out of bounds for a touchback.

Before the running clock clicked on late in the third quarter, Highland Park had mustered 60 total yards, and 31 of them came on one pass play early in the third quarter. Block, a cover corner supreme, tightly defended or broke up passes virtually every time the Giants dared throw in his direction.

“That our motto – they don’t score and we don’t lose,” TJ Kane said. “With our defense, they don’t score very often.”