Bolingbrook pulled off a big 14-7 road win Friday against Lockport, and the Raiders have some seriously talented underclassmen to watch.
Junior inside linebacker Antonio Morrison (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) and junior offensive lineman Rob Bain (6-3, 267) grew up around the Raiders program thanks to their older brothers, who graduated in 2005.
Antonio’s brother Anthony was an All-State linebacker who played at Eastern Illinois. Bain’s brother Ryan was a four-star ranked defensive tackle prospect who played at Iowa before finishing at Akron.
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Bolingbrook also features standout sophomore quarterback Aaron Bailey (6-2, 200), son of former NFL receiver Aaron Bailey, and junior receiver Xavier Perkins (6-3, 195).
All in the Family, Part II: One of the biggest games in the state takes place Friday in Springfield when undefeated and Class 5A state-ranked Sacred Heart-Griffin (3-0) faces Rochester (3-0) at Memorial Stadium in Springfield.
Sacred Heart’s Ken Leonard will coach against his son, Derek Leonard, for the first time.
Rochester features Iowa oral commit Riley McMinn (6-7, 220, DE) and one of the top junior quarterback prospects in Wes Lunt (6-5, 190).
Sacred Heart features senior lineman Ryan Klachko (6-foot-4, 287 pounds), a Nebraska recruit.
Another to watch at Andrew: Andrew has two seniors who have orally committed to Illinois in senior center Tony Durkin (6-3, 265) and senior defensive lineman Chris O’Connor (6-5, 250).
Also keep an eye on senior receiver Kyle Duckworth (6-0 165), a special teams force.
Colleges should also take a harder look at Thornton senior running back Damien Bell (5-9, 175).
Senior to watch: Rochelle lineman Micah McCullough (6-4, 260), a Northern Illinois baseball recruit who missed his junior season after suffering a serious shoulder injury as a sophomore, is back on the field and ready to draw some college interest in football.
“I just really missed football,” McCullough said. “I just missed Friday night and playing for my school. I love baseball, but if I had the chance to play football in college I would definitely consider it. I’m just really happy to be healthy again and back out on the field trying to help us win games.”
On the Ball State: Thornridge senior defensive end Dimitri Johnson (6-3, 215) is drawing some solid scholarship offers and looks. Johnson has offers from Ball State, Akron, Toledo and Central Michigan. He made an unofficial visit to Ball State on Sunday.