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Sports

Bailey Has All the Attributes to Succeed as Raiders' QB

Bolingbrook football has become renowned for producing highly coveted skill players, and sophomore Aaron Bailey is yet the latest to add his name to a storied tradition.

It is not out of the realm of possibility head coaches and their offensive coordinators could disagree on some matters relating to the team.

But Bolingbrook head coach John Inlow and quarterbacks coach Matt Monken are in complete agreement about sophomore quarterback Aaron Bailey.

"He just a great kid," Ivlow said.

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"Aaron, No. 1, is just a great kid," said Monken, the Raiders' offensive mastermind. "(Baily) loves playing football. He wants to win."

The Raiders welcome Southwest Suburban Blue rival Homewood-Flossmoor Friday night for their homecoming game; with a victory Bolingbrook (4-1) will become playoff eligible for the 19th consecutive season.

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The high school athletic landscape has been dramatically altered over the past three decades.

From the immediate impact of underclassmen on varsity sports to the seemingly irreversible trend of specialization, nurturing athletes at the lower levels and three-sport athletes seem to be endangered species.

From a football standpoint, however, the one inescapable element to the changing dynamic of the sport is the degree to which innovations at the upper levels of the sport have been incorporated into the prep level.

"To me, (Bailey) is a senior," Monken said in response to harboring any trepidation about starting an underclass quarterback. "I am going to have him for the next three years. He has to play like a senior."

"I always wanted to be a quarterback," said Bailey, whose father played in the NFL. "I see myself as a balanced quarterback (between running and passing)."

That is a  prerequisite to play quarterback for the Raiders.

Monken said the Raiders' intricate offense has as many variations, adding fuel to the manner in which the college game has filtered down to high school.

Employing a spread offense -- in which Bailey lines up in shotgun formation with typically split backs -- and a more traditional under-the-center look, Bailey has been both studious and eager after a battlefield promotion last year.

"It was a  blessing to be (elevated to varsity as a freshman)," Bailey said. "I feel the whole team is more dangerous out of the spread. We run a lot of options out of the spread."

Equally potent as both a runner and passer, Bailey operates the Raiders' offense with aplomb.

"He is always improving in throwing and reading (the defenses)," Ivlow said.

Wide receivers Xavier Perkins, Michael Cropes and Dan Fisher are his main weapons when the Raiders look to pass, and Monken said some of his formations out of the shotgun feature as many as "five wide."

Bailey was injured in the Raiders' victory over Joliet West last weekend, and the coaches have all but ruled him out for Friday's game against Homewood-Flossmoor.

"I guess we're just being cautious," Monken said.

But Bailey has not entirely accepted their decision.

"You never know," Bailey said with a mischievous grin as he continued treatment for the lower-leg injury in the Raiders' training room Wednesday afternoon.

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