Reed-Custer rolls over Peotone to advance

BRAIDWOOD – It wasn’t exactly the blueprint that the Reed-Custer football team planned to employ in its first playoff game since 2009.

But the end result was exactly what the Comets were hoping for as they dispatched Peotone, 26-0, in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs Friday night.

Reed-Custer (9-1) advances to this weekend’s second-round where it will play Chicago Clark, who beat Elmwood-Brimfield, 28-16, on Saturday.

It was Reed-Custer first playoff win since 2007 and only the third playoff win in program history.

“Our offensive and defensive lines are the focal point of this team, and they don’t get the credit because they are lineman,” Reed-Custer coach Gavin Johnston said. “This was a treacherous track that we just played in with the rain and wind.”

That sloppy surface probably kept Reed-Custer’s offense from thriving, but it did enough, and that’s all that ultimately matters at this time of year.

But despite the slippery conditions, the Comets still couldn’t totally avail themselves of their quick scoring proclivities. After Reed-Custer forced Peotone into a three-and-out, Elliot Cassem took the second play of Reed-Custer’s inaugural drive to the outside and 42 yards later he was in the end zone.

The conditions, however, eventually won out.

The score stayed 7-0 for a considerable amount of time, especially considering Peotone started one of its second quarter drives at the Reed-Custer 20-yard line after a short Comet punt, but it was Cassem that eventually got things moving for the Comets again as he sprung a 50-yard run that eventually led to Reed-Custer scoring at the 3:20 mark of the second quarter on a 4-yard run from Jake McPherson.

Reed-Custer went into halftime with a 14-0 lead and did so with a grand total of one passing yard. It showed that while the Comets usually can throw the football, if they can’t for whatever reason, they still can find a way to win.

“We used to be pretty one dimensional here,” Johnston said. “We’ve put in some things this year, we used to be four wide all the time, but now we’ve put in some jumbo sets, and I think that’s definitely playing in our favor.”

The power ground game also seems to suit them. Cassem finished with 197 yards on 24 carries while Reed-Custer finished with more than 300 yards rushing in the game.

And while the offense had to grind for its success, Reed-Custer’s defense truly thrived. The Comets boxed in Peotone’s rushing attack, the primary source of Blue Devils’ offense this season, to less than 100 yards in the game. The Blue Devils (5-5) gained many yards very late in the contest.

Reed-Custer advances to the second round in a good place. History isn’t on their side, however, as the program never has reached the third round of the playoffs, losing second-round matchups in 1986 and 2006.

Johnston understands those that are skeptical, but its also pretty easy to see why he believes this group might have what it takes to take that next step.

“There’s doubters, and rightfully so. We haven’t taken care of business,” Johnston said. “Our theme this year was burn the boats, and we’ve definitely burnt those boats. We’re just here to play whoever we may see. The kids have definitely bought into that, and the talent has bought into that, and our kids are super confident”