Chicago-Area High School Football News and Scores | Season Pass

Even with a full squad, Reavis faced an uphill battle trying to upend Richards Friday night in the SouthtownStar’s Season Pass Spotlight Game on HighSchoolCube.com.

However, without quarterback Jose Romero, who has passed for 888 yards and nine touchdowns and also leads the team in rushing, the prospects for a Rams’ upset appear impossible.

Romero will be sitting out Friday’s South Suburban Red encounter in Burbank after being involved in an altercation against Eisenhower that resulted in four players from both teams being suspended one game.

Romero’s absence couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Rams who, at 4-3, will likely need to win their final two games to qualify for the playoffs.

“It’s a tough task, for sure,” said Reavis coach Tim Zasada of beating Richards. “I don’t know if we would have been good enough to beat Richards with Jose. But my job is to put together a game plan that allows us to compete.”

To compound matters, the Rams are down to their third-string center. Starter Ben Wasielewski and back-up Anthony Parente will be out. Parente is also the team’s starting linebacker.

“I don’t know many schools that have three centers, but I know at Reavis we don’t,” Zasada said.

Reavis will try to muster up points against a Richards (6-1, 4-0) defense that has allowed just 58 points on the season.

“They’re a hard hitting team,” Zasada said. “They’re old school. They try to take your head off.

“They also have play-makers on offense and we’re going to try and keep the ball way from them.”

The Bulldogs boast running backs Tommy Mister (85 carries, 650 yards, 10 TDs) and Ramontay Hill, receiver Tacari Carpenter (19 catches, 412 yards, 7 TDs) and quarterback Hasan Muhammed-Rogers.

Defensively, Savon Robinson and Kameron Sconiers anchor the line, with linebackers Andrew Venerable, DiAndre Smith and Hill providing prowling nearby.

“We can make excuses, but we have to learn how to compete,” Zasada said. “If we hang our heads, they’ll put 60 (points) on us.”