Lincoln-Way East, the Jonas Williams Show overpower Andrew

TINLEY PARK – Jonas Williams of Lincoln-Way East was up to his usual tricks Friday night.

And it had nothing to do with the impending Halloween holiday.

Confronted by an Andrew defense that hadn’t seen someone with his skills, the Oregon-bound quarterback threw for five touchdowns – one short of his season high – in the top-ranked Griffins’ 49-20 rout of the Thunderbolts in a Southwest Valley crossover.

The outcome helps set up a battle of unbeatens next Friday in Frankfort. The Griffins (8-0, 4-0 Blue) will host Naperville Central (8-0, 4-0 Red) in a game that will serve as a playoff preview and for unofficial conference supremacy.

“Love it, love it, love it,” Griffins coach Rob Zvonar said. “We had a bye week in Week 2, and I would have taken that now, but how much more fun, 8-0 and 8-0 back at home in the new conference. We’re not in the same divisions, but bottom line, this is for the conference.

“Let’s go, let’s hype it up, and let’s have some fun.”

Diehards might want to line up for tickets now.

In the Griffins, they’ll see an organized team with a sturdy defense that was given a test by Andrew’s option attack, as well as an offense that rides on the steady head and strong arms and legs of Williams, who – as Zvonar notes – is only 16, but has the body of an NFL player.

He was on his game as usual, with four touchdowns in the first half alone, when he was 10 of 12 for 133 yards. With a pair of touchdown receptions by Keagan Ruane (37 and 18 yards) and a pair by Talan White-Hatch (11 and 28 yards), he was nearly unbeatable, save for an interception by Scott Oftedahl on the Griffins’ second series.

Williams collaborated with Ruane for a third touchdown and fifth overall, a 28-yarder in which the wideout was wide open down the middle for a 35-20 advantage with 6:20 remaining in the third quarter. Brody Gish added two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Williams also was sacked once but came back to gain 8 yards on the next play, run for 12 more on the following snap and four plays later hit White-Hatch for a score and 14-6 lead.

That sack was one of the few times he was harried. Pressure isn’t a big problem for him because of his ability to roll out away from trouble to the open side of the field, and from there defenses peel back, allowing him to run or throw as he sees fit. Andrew’s peeled back, and he took full advantage.

“We did some good things on offense,” Williams said. “We had two turnovers or the game could have been a lot cleaner, and we could have put 50 to 60 on them. But you don’t want everything to go smooth. Now we have something we can work on going into next week.”

Next week. Williams – who was on the Autzen Stadium sideline last Saturday for the Ducks’ thrilling victory over Ohio State – can’t wait to have a similar atmosphere at East next Friday.

“I think it’s pretty personal for us, especially with this new conference,” Williams said. “The top two teams. It’s bragging rights.”

In the ninth week of the season, with the division long wrapped up, can’t play for anything bigger.