Oswego offense chimes in during 49-6 handling of Plainfield Central

PLAINFIELD – The story of the past two seasons has been Oswego’s defense. Friday, its offense got its time in the limelight.

Nobody embraced it more than Michael Kelly. The senior wideout caught two passes for 94 yards and a touchdown in Oswego’s 49-6 victory against Plainfield Central.

Kelly’s first grab of the night was a 58-yard catch-and-run on a post route that Kelly took to the house. It was his childhood friend and quarterback Brett Connolly that put the ball right in his breadbasket.

“We’ve been playing together since I first started,” Kelly said. “We work off the field, keep grinding and show out on the field.”

Oswego (3-0) wasted no time getting to work. On the third play from scrimmage, Connolly kept the ball on a read option and followed his blockers for a 64-yard touchdown run. On the next drive, Ayden Villa scampered for a 29-yard touchdown.

“Our boys are working day-in and day-out,” Kelly said. “We didn’t have the greatest offense last year, and this year we wanted to show what we got.”

Connolly’s first touchdown through the air came on a 29-yard pass to Jeremiah Cain to make it 21-0. Connolly would find Kelly for the 58-yarder on the following drive.

“If I’m a defensive coach scouting us, I’ve got to pick my poison: No. 1 [Jeremiah Cain] or No. 22 [Michael Kelly],” Oswego coach Brian Cooney said. “If Cain is getting doubled or getting a lot of attention, we are very comfortable going to [Kelly.]”

On the next offensive drive for the Panthers, Kelly made his second reception of the night, this time from backup quarterback Kamrin Jenkins, for 36 yards. Kelly was tripped up and downed just a yard shy of his second touchdown of the night.

“Michael played in every game last year. He’s been there done that,” Cooney said. “You can see it at practice.”

The drive would end with a 1-yard Lucas Andersen touchdown run.

The Oswego defense, coming off its shutout performance against Joliet Catholic last week, got in on the scoring as well. Defensive back Mariano Velasco picked off a pass and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown, giving Oswego its 42-0 halftime lead.

The Panthers added a 34-yard touchdown run from Hunter Novak in the third quarter to finish out their night of scoring.

Oswego’s offense accumulated 423 yards. Through the air, Oswego was led by Brett Connolly who, in under two quarters of play, was 3 of 5 for 96 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. On the ground, Conolly rushed for another 64.

The Panthers running backs enjoyed a good night as well. Villa rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown on four carries, while Dekker Zelensek rushed for 73 yards on five carries.

Plainfield Central (0-3) got on the board in the fourth quarter thanks to some razzle-dazzle. The Wildcats perfectly executed a double-reverse that resulted in a 69-yard touchdown run for Stephon Griffin, his first on varsity.

“He’s a special athlete,” Plainfield Central coach Robby Carriger said. “Defensive back is where he’s going to make his hay … but we have to find ways to get him the ball.”

The defensive back drew the assignment of Jeremiah Cain on the outside. Griffin kept Oswego’s No. 1 receiver to just one reception for 29 yards and a touchdown.

Despite the loss, Carriger liked the effort he saw from his squad, including Anthony Storck, a tight end by trade who stepped up to play quarterback due to injuries.

“If we come out Week 1 [and] Week 2 with the effort, attitude and effort we played tonight with, the season looks entirely different already,” Carriger said. “We told them all week: Go face first into it and give us what you got, and they did.”

Carriger was optimistic going forward after tonight’s performance.

“We found some things tonight,” Carriger said. “We’d be crazy not to be pretty confident going into conference play here that we can turn this thing around and get competitive.”

For Oswego, it was critical to avoid a letdown game after the excitement of last week’s victory.

“We’re focusing on us,” Cooney said. “We didn’t bring as much attitude and effort as I would have wanted to see, but I’m proud of our guys for how they continue to go.”