By Brendan Cadman
For the Bugle
Plainfield Central’s fast start dooms Joliet Central
The Plainfield Central Wildcats were able to build upon their early season success and extend their winning streak to three games, thanks to a comfortable and decisive 42-13 victory over the Joliet Central Steelmen on Friday night.
“It was a great game even though there were periods that left a bad taste in my mouth,” Plainfield Central Coach Jon Pereiro said. “A lot of our guys need to develop the mentality of learning to make whatever is next the most important thing and not looking behind us.”
The Wildcats came out on fire, both defensively and offensively, in the first quarter of the game. Thanks to a pair of CJ Bufkin touchdowns, complimented by a Tom Gustafson score and a safety forced by the Plainfield defense, the Wildcats were able to open up 23 point lead at the end of the first quarter.
Another safety, along with a John Rukujzo 29-yard field goal, had Plainfield up 28-0 late in the second quarter. However, the Steelmen showed great resolve and began to push back against the Wildcats.
“Never question our teams resilience or heart,” Joliet Central Coach Brett Boyter assured. “There are 30 guys on this team and they are coming out everyday, learning and getting better. The biggest disappointment today wasn’t the result, it was how flat and unfocused they came out. If we played how we did in the second quarter, this is probably an entirely different game all together.”
The Steelmen showed signs of life in the second period, as Jaren Smith took his second interception of the quarter to the house for a 35-yard touchdown return. The big play gave a much needed spark to the Joliet offense, as the Steelmen were able to shut down the Wildcats and add another three points on a Antonio Alejos 23-yard field goal just before the half.
Smith and Alejos’ contributions accounted for the first 10 points of the season for the Steelmen, as Joliet reduced the Wildcat lead to 28-10 heading into the final two quarters.
“We were able to capitalize on the momentum we gained from Jaren’s interception,” Boyter said. “It was something that we haven’t been able to do all season, but our guys were able to feed off of it and translate that into success on offense and defense.”
Alejos added another field in the early stages of the third quarter, as the Steelmen cut the Wildcat lead to 28-13. Joliet seemed to have completely shifted the momentum of the game, and were poised to stage a furious rally to shock Plainfield. However, a series of questionable calls from the officials and a blocked punt quickly killed the Steelmen’s rally.
After the Wildcats recovered the blocked punt all the way back at the Joliet five-yard line, Gustafson ran in his second touchdown of the game to put Plainfield back in control at 35-13. Senior Jordan Saxon, emphatically put the game to bed with an electrifying 78-yard punt return for a touchdown that stretched the game firmly out of the Steelmen reach at 42-13.
“What we have to take away from this game is learning not to play against ourselves,” Pereiro said. “There were a couple of times throughout the course of the game where we were not taking what the defense gave us on the offensive side of the ball. We also were letting them do things we normally wouldn’t let them do to us when we were on defense. We just need to get better at keeping our focus on the task at hand.”
Plainfield Central (3-1) will put their three game winning streak on the line next Friday, when they travel to Minooka. Pereiro knows that the Indians will provided a stiff test, and his team will have to come out with better focus if they hope to keep up their winning ways.
“This result will be just fine, but now I am only concerned about Minooka,” he admitted. “What we have to do is put together four full quarters of football, in order to do the things we believe we are capable of in this conference. Minooka is a great team, with a great coach, so we know that we have a great challenge ahead of us.”
As for Joliet Central (0-4), the Steelmen knew that this season was going to be a learning experience. Often the victories for Joliet will not come in the final score, but rather in how they progress together as a team. Quarter by quarter, game by game, and week to week, the Steelmen know that their success will be dependent on their dedication and how committed they are to not repeating the same old mistakes.
“We are not a bad team when we come out and play focused and play hard,” Boyter said. “Our guys have to learn how to be consistent and disciplined in their execution every single day. These guys can play and will be able to play, once they learn how to bring that focus and energy in everything they do. It’s all about the baby steps right now.”
The Steelmen will have another chance to show what they’ve learned from this latest performance when they host Plainfield South next Saturday.