The Herald-News Week 4 Notebook: Changes up front power Plainfield North defense

Plainfield North’s defense was one of the stars of the show Friday night in a 28-3 homecoming win over Joliet West.

That was largely due to the defensive front, particularly Colin Meyers, Jake Jiminez and Kevin Wilson.

Meyers had 3 1/2 sacks and consistently pressured West quarterback Antoine Brooks, forcing Brooks to scramble. North also was staunch in the run game, allowing just 64 rushing yards.

“Our defensive line was outstanding,” North coach Anthony Imbordino said. “We moved Kevin Wilson from linebacker to defensive line, and he did a great job there. We got Jack Nowicki back from a knee surgery, so he was able to play linebacker. Moving Wilson to the defensive line, we were able to get more pressure.

“Those are big, athletic guys we have up front, and they played great.”

Efficient offense

Any time a team scores 74 points as Coal City did Friday in a 74-0 win over Lisle, it’d be safe to assume there are some big offensive numbers.

Coal City, however, ran just 19 offensive plays in the rout, as the defense and special teams accounted for four touchdowns. The Coalers scored on a fumble return, an interception return, a punt return and returned Lisle’s only kickoff – the one to start the second half – for a touchdown.

Of the 19 plays the Coalers ran, seven went for touchdowns. Landin Benson scored three times on the ground on eight carries, finishing with 97 yards. Quarterback Connor Henline completed 4 of 6 passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns, both going to Logan Natyshok.

In all, Coal City ran the ball 13 times for 188 yards and threw it six times for 72 yards. The defense held Lisle to 109 total yards.

Dominant defense does it for Providence

Providence Catholic knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat.

After a heartbreaking loss to Wheaton North (23-22) to open the season, the Celtics followed it with a competitive 23-14 win over Lincoln-Way Central. A nail-biting 27-24 loss to Carmel followed to set up a critical game this past Friday against Niles Notre Dame.

It was interesting for the first three quarters, as the game was scoreless until 10 seconds before halftime. After the Celtics took a 7-0 lead, it remained a one-possession contest until early in the fourth quarter. Gavin Hagan’s 97-yard TD run at that point all but sealed the victory.

But one thing was evident: Defense ruled the day. Dom Infelise had a pair of sacks and a massive QB hit as Notre Dame barely cracked 100 yards of offense. Coach Tyler Plantz credited the Celtics staff for coaching that side of the ball up.

“That’s an elite staff from top to bottom,” Plantz said. “I think it’s one of the best staffs in the state. They have a lot of guys who have played a lot of football, and I’m glad to have them.”

Plantz credited the offense for doing what it needed to in the fourth. After Hagan’s run, the Celtic offense got the ball back again with five minutes to go and managed to run the rest of the clock out to get the victory.

“The four-minute offense has been really key for us,” Plantz said. “Being able to understand situations and knowing what we need to do in those situations is critical. ... We’re going to keep attacking each week the same and doing it piece by piece, day by day.”

Minooka remains undefeated

Doubters, scoffers and haters. These are the people who will ignore what Minooka has done so far this season.

In fairness to them, yes, the schedule hasn’t been the most daunting. Far from it. But at the end of the day, the Indians are a month into the season and still undefeated. Their most recent victory was a 56-0 drubbing of Romeoville this past Friday. They’ve now outscored their four opponents 191 to 40.

Yes, those four teams are a combined 1-15, but the Indians are in prime position entering the second half of the season. The difficulty level does tick up, though.

The remaining teams on the schedule are a combined 12-8, with four teams sitting at 2-2 and one (Oswego) at 4-0.

Week 4 scoreboard

Bolingbrook 28, Plainfield East 0

Coal City 74, Lisle 0

Herscher 8, Reed-Custer 7

Joliet Catholic Academy 31, Marist 30 (2 OT)

Lemont 51, TF South 14

Lincoln-Way Central 39, DeKalb 6

Lincoln-Way East 49, Naperville North 17

Lockport 21, Waubonsie Valley 7

Minooka 56, Romeoville 0

Morris 52, LaSalle-Peru 14

Oswego 70, Joliet Central 7

Oswego East 13, Plainfield South 7

Ottawa Marquette 26, Dwight 21

Plainfield North 28, Joliet West 3

Providence Catholic 14, Niles Notre Dame 0

Sandburg 28, Lincoln-Way West 22

Seneca 36, St. Bede 12

Wilmington 49, Peotone 13

Yorkville 49, Plainfield Central 8