By Bobby Narang –
Oswego East High School head football coach Tyson LeBlanc attempted to pick up his players’ spirits.
After the Wolves’ season ended with a 23-14 loss to visiting Barrington in Saturday’s Class 8A first-round playoff game, LeBlanc made a point to attempt to lift the mood of his players.
It was a tough sell, for some, especially considering the host Wolves had dreams of an extended run in the playoffs. The players set the bar high by winning their first six games before losing, 32-0, to host Oswego in a battle of unbeatens in week seven. The Wolves’ three losses, Oswego, Minooka, and Barrington, were to teams with a combined record of 24-6 after the first round of the playoffs. But even though the Wolves, who finished 7-3, failed to beat Oswego in the Southwest Prairie Conference this season, they have advanced to the playoffs in five of LeBlanc’s seven seasons since he took the job in 2012.
“(Oswego East) is a really good team and has a lot of athletes,” Barrington head coach Joe Sanchez said. “It was a really good game. We made a few more plays and got some good play from our special teams and defense to win the game.”
Unlike Barrington, which advanced to the second round for the sixth straight season, Oswego East remains a relative newcomer to the playoff scene. Five years ago, the Wolves made the program’s first postseason appearance.
Against Barrington, the Wolves succumbed to a host of mistakes. They turned the ball over four times, gave up seven sacks, and allowed 205 yards rushing. Barrington kicker William Hutchinson drilled three field goals, including a school-record 54-yard kick.
The Broncos, 7-2, scored 14 points in the second quarter to take a 14-0 lead at halftime. Barrington will play host to No. 4 Homewood-Flossmoor at 1 p.m. Saturday in the second round.
Justin Clark, a Northern Illinois University recruit, scored Oswego East’s first touchdown, a 78-yarder on a screen pass in the third quarter.
• On the other side of town, Oswego remained unbeaten with a 49-7 triumph over Chicago Taft in an 8A first-round playoff game. The Panthers, 10-0, will play at Loyola in
Wilmette for Saturday’s 1 p.m. second-round playoff game.
• Meanwhile, Waubonsie Valley, seeded No. 22, upset No. 11 and host Bolingbrook, 38-21, to set up a second-round Class 8A battle with Maine South Saturday at 1 p.m. at Waubonsie Valley in Aurora.
• West Aurora, 9-1, pulled out a 28-20 triumph over South Elgin to advance to Saturday’s 5 p.m. showdown at Edwardsville, 7-3.
• Click here to see selected second-round football pairings.
• Click here to see selected first-round football playoff results.