Bolingbrook Defense Rises to the Occasion, Raiders Win Conference Opener

The Bolingbrook Raiders' maligned defense found redemption Friday night on Lockport's home turf.

A week after being undone by one big play after another in a 31-8 home loss to Belleville East, Bolingbrook's defense corralled the Porters' rally in the game's final moments to secure a 14-7 victory.

Lockport had the ball with 1:16 remaining and trailed by a touchdown. The Porters (2-1, 0-1) faced an uphill climb and a 90-yard trek to paydirt. But the Raiders (2-1, 1-0) prevented their Southwest Suburban Blue rivals from completing what could have been a game-tying or game-winning drive when Lockport's offense stalled near midfield as time expired.

"We approached it like a street fight," Bolingbrook coach John Ivlow said. "I always tell our kids it comes down to who's tougher – the Bolingbrook kids or the Lockport kids. That's what this was about. The tougher team will win this game, and I think we played a little bit more physical than them."

The Raiders certainly personified a rugged heavyweight champion, delivering punishing hits while absorbing Lockport's best punch by bouncing back and returning to the huddle.

The Porters won the toss and received the opening kick, but were not able to capitalize on the game's first opportunity as they managed only one first down before stalling. Meanwhile, Bolingbrook took command by scoring on its first possession.

Senior running back Lamar Hooper took a handoff from sophomore quarterback Aaron Bailey, slammed through a gap in the defense and darted past Lockport's last line of defenders en route to a 41-yard touchdown run to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead.

"Coming into the game we wanted the ball because we thought we could take it down the field and put it in," Ivlow said. "That gets our whole team up – our offense and our defense. We stopped them and we got our chance and we put it in just like we planned to do."

From there, both defenses held their ground – with one exception. Bolingbrook struck for its second score with 3:18 remaining before halftime.

Bailey connected with senior wide receiver Daniel Fisher on a play Ivlow described as a "rocket screen." Fisher took the short pass, broke through the defense and zipped down the sideline for a 47-yard touchdown to give the Raiders a 14-0 lead.

"We're not looking for him to be a sophomore," Fisher said of Bailey. "Coach tells him every day that he's going to play like a senior and he did a good job. He's playing hard.".

Lockport finally scratched the scoring column with 5:45, but it was not enough as the Porters were unable to muster up a second scoring drive.

Bolingbrook returns to action on Sept. 17 when it hosts Joliet Central at 7 p.m.