Chicago-Area High School News and Scores | Season Pass

Now it gets interesting for defending Class 8A state champion Bolingbrook.

After Saturday’s  44-12 road victory over Joliet West, the Raiders get to the meat of their regular-season schedule. They beat  Plainfield South, Romeoville and the two Joliet schools by a combined score of 177-34.

The Raiders (4-0 , 2-0 in the SouthWest Suburban Blue) host Homewood-Flossmoor Friday, visit Lincoln–Way East Sept. 28 and host Sandburg Oct. 5. Those three teams enter Week 5's action with a combined 11-1  mark.

“This is the heart of our schedule – it’s just going to get harder and harder,” Raiders senior running back Omar Stover said. “We have to go harder in practice every day. These game will all be dogfights.”

Stovar carried the ball just five times in the second quarter Saturday and ran for 138 yards and three touchdowns as the Raiders scored 32 second quarter points to take a 44-0 halftime lead and force a running clock in the second half.

“I have to do my best whenever I can because you are never guaranteed a carry on this team,” Stover said. “This offense has so many weapons in its backfield so whenever you get the opportunity, you have to do the best you can with it.”

Bolingbrook rested it starters in the second half but in the first half the Riaders amassed 408 yards of offense — 406 on the ground. Quarterback Aaron Bailey added 101 rushing yards. On defense,  Philip Stevens had a fumble recovery while Jacob Huff and Jeremy Smith had interceptions.

West has fallen on hard times since the Tigers’ 48-0 victory over Thornridge to open the season. The Tigers fell 31-27 to Plainfield South and 30-3 to Sandburg before running into the state powerhouse Raiders for its homecoming game. Tigers quarterback Ashton McCullough threw a 63-yard TD pass to Korey Rogers and added a 1-yard run in the second half.

The Tigers  hope to get back on track when they host winless Joliet Central Saturday.