Short-handed Kankakee still has plenty of firepower to blow past Glenbard South

KANKAKEE — As the Kankakee football team kicked off its fifth straight postseason on Saturday with a home game against Glenbard South, the No. 3-seeded Kays took their home field without a handful of key pieces, most notably sensational sophomore quarterback Phillip Turner.

But even shorthanded, the Kays showed plenty of offensive firepower and their typical tenacious defense, getting three touchdowns apiece from Zeke Sherrod and James Stampley to beat the 14-seeded Raiders 42-0 fn the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.

Kankakee advances to face the Lemont-Bloomington winner.

“I think it was just the next man up,” Kays coach Miles Osei said. “We had some players that were out and I think our biggest opponent is ourselves. If we can handle ourselves, I think they’ll like the result.

“I think the kids came in on game day ready to go, they battled through and some kids stepped up.”

Appearing in their 13th consecutive postseason, the Raiders (6-4) were able to quickly nab the Kays’ early-game momentum after a 74-yard Zyon Turner rush on the first play from scrimmage, keeping the Kays (9-1) out of the end zone when Vance Larrance picked off Cedric Terrell III in the end zone on fourth down.

But the Kays were able to force a quick three-and-out, and on their second drive, cashed in. Taking over at their own 18-yard line, Kankakee took eight plays to reach paydirt, with Terrell III hitting Sherrod for a 25-yard touchdown pass that put the hosts up 7-0 with 4:03 left in the first, their first of three touchdown connections.

Terrell III, who ran, caught and threw for a touchdown in last week’s regular season finale against Crete-Monee, was called into action as the round one signal-caller for the second straight postseason, leading the Kays to victory both times.

Osei credited not just Terrell III, who also spent the day at his usual safety spot on defense, but the entire team for rallying behind him.

“I think as a team they get a lot of credit because they’re pulling for him,” Osei said. “I don’t think he realizes how great of a leader he can be, and he can be a really good leader if he decides to.

“When he decides to, you can see the team rally around him,” Osei added. “The team has a lot of faith in him, a lot of faith in what he can do, and it’s just making sure he understands that.”

Glenbard South was forced to punt on another three-and-out, the Raiders’ second of three drives in the first half that went that way, with the Kays responding when Stampley stamped an 8-play, 65-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge to double the lead at 14-0 just over a minute into the second quarter.

The Raiders got their first big play on the ensuing drive, a 20-yard pass from Tommy Bauman to Anthony Bauldauf, but Sherrod was able to come in from behind and force a fumble that Charles Hill recovered at the Kays’ 35-yard line.

Kankakee was unable to score on the ensuing drive, but after the teams traded three-and-outs, Stampley found the end zone for the second time in the quarter with a 25-yard scamper to grow the lead to 21-0 with a little over four minutes left in the half.

And they weren’t done in the half. After another quick three-and-out, the Kays took a methodical approach ahead of the half, which paid off when Terrell III flung a 34-yard bomb to Sherrod, who made an acrobatic leaping catch in the end zone to make it 28-0 at the half.

The Raiders opened the second half with an entirely different approach, as Joseph Villa came in to quarterback what was essentially a double wing shotgun formation, one that allowed the visitors to quickly march down the field and set up a 1st-and-goal at the Kankakee 8-yard line. Villa picked up seven yards on first down, but after getting stuffed at the 1 on both second and third down, fumbled the fourth down snap and allowed the Kays to take over at their own 3.

It took the Kays just four plays to score again, as Stampley took a handoff and broke five tackles on his way to the end zone for an 80-yard touchdown to leave little doubt in a 35-0 Kays lead with 8:15 on the third-quarter clock.

Stampley, a three-year starter for the Kays after spending his freshman year at St. Rita, said he’s been waiting for his senior postseason to come around and isn’t going to let a moment of it go to waste.

“I’ve been waiting a long time,” Stampley said. “Coming from St. Rita freshman year, going to state and now coming home, I’m just trying to fill the shoes of the people that are gone.

" ... I embrace it a lot. Once it’s gone, it’s gone and there’s no getting it back. I’m just enjoying every moment.”

The Kays ran for 314 yards as a team, with Stampley’s 164 yards and three touchdowns on a dozen carries leading the way.

Bauman finished the afternoon 7-for-18 for 134 yards and two interceptions. Jonny Baldauf had three catches for 76 yards. Devontae Clark had a 26-yard reception and tied Villa for a team-high 18 rushing yards for a Raiders offense that netted 17 total rushing yards. Larrance had an interception and Thomas Burke had a sack.