Bolingbrook, Joshua Robinson rally in second half to top Homewood-Flossmoor 43-36

BOLINGBROOK - Homewood-Flossmoor won the yardage battle Friday night.

With coach John Ivlow sidelined because of a medical issue, the Raiders rallied in the last 15 minutes for a 43-36 victory over the pesky Vikings.

Leaders of the rally were many, but three stood out.

First, there was linebacker Marcus Williams, whose tackle of H-F quarterback Cameron Oglesby on fourth-and-4 with 1:12 left prevented a first down and effectively locked up the outcome.

“I knew the team needed one,” Williams said. “They needed me when the time came. I just made the play.”

Second, there was quarterback Jonas Williams, the freshman whose two touchdown passes were the lowest output of his six-game varsity career, but vital nonetheless.

Finally, there was running back Joshua Robinson, who wears No. 0 but is ranked far higher in the eyes of his teammates. Robinson, almost the forgotten man the first half of the season, ran for four touchdowns, including a 62-yard scamper that erased H-F’s only lead of the night, tying the game at 36 with 2:05 left in the third quarter.

“The play was an inside zone, so they were in a three-man front,” Robinson said. “The defensive end crashed down, and I cut it outside. It was me and the safety one-on-one. He’s 210 pounds, and he doesn’t want to tackle me on the field.”

The 6-foot-1 senior, who is also 210 pounds, also scored on 3-, 4- and 11-yard carries.

“I know we’ve got great receivers and a great young quarterback in Jonas Williams,” Robinson said. “I knew my time was going to come, so I stayed patient. I knew everything was going to open up for me.”

Bolingbrook’s offense displayed a two-pronged attack in improving to 4-2 (2-1 SouthWest Suburban Blue). H-F fell to 4-2 (1-1).

Jonas Williams, who threw for 23 touchdowns in his first five games, wasn’t exactly quieted. He completed 19 of 32 passes for 253 yards, outgunning Oglesby, whose 11-of-24, 242-yard, three-touchdown reading was nearly as impressive. And H-F finished with a 454-417 yardage advantage thanks to a 212-164 edge on the ground.

l’Marion Stewart caught nine of Williams’ passes, including the game-winning touchdown on the left side of the end zone with 6:03 to play.

“We didn’t have to do too much with him,” Stewart said of the freshman sensation. “He just came here and showed up.”

In the background for the Raiders was the absence of Ivlow, who has guided the program for 21 years. This will count as his 154th victory while he waits to be cleared.

“It was hard, but with Coach Harvey [Jackson], we held it down and got the ‘W,’ ” Marcus Williams said. “They had the passing game and a good receiver [in John Gore]. He was working us the whole game.”

Gore caught eight passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns, from 72 and 13 yards. But Oglesby found him only twice in H-F’s last three series, and Marcus Williams eventually found Oglesby.