Iowa recruit Sebastian Castro had a golden opportunity to put Richards in command during the third quarter of Friday night’s season opener against visiting Lincoln-Way Central.
He fumbled at the 1-yard line.
He did much better with Central breathing down the Bulldogs’ necks late in the fourth quarter.
The senior quarterback turned a keeper into a 22-yard touchdown run with 2:18 remaining. Castro followed that up with an interception at his own 2 to wrap up a 17-7 victory.
Now that’s a closer.
“That was terrible, that fumble,” Castro said. “You’ve got to take care of the ball. The rest of it was pretty good stuff, though. It felt good.”
The other hero for the Bulldogs was running back Leshon Williams. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound junior was a workhorse, rushing 28 times for 186 yards. He scored the Bulldogs’ other TD on a 22-yard run.
Sebastian Lasak added a 26-yard field goal.
Lincoln-Way Central scored on a 33-yard pass from Bryce Hayes to Conner McWilliams. Hayes passed for 174 yards.
Castro quarterbacked the entire way for Richards.
The Bulldogs played without quarterback/wide receiver Marquel Porter, who’s still awaiting IHSA clearance regarding his transfer from Shepard.
“We’re just waiting on an eligibility ruling,” Richards coach Tony Sheehan said. “Hopefully that comes this week and we should be OK for next week.”
Porter, who threw for 1,434 yards and 17 touchdowns at Shepard last season, is expected to share the quarterback duties with Castro, with the duo switching off between quarterback and wide receiver.
Friday, it was all Castro.
“He did it all last year so it’s not like it’s new for him,” Sheehan said of Castro. “We have the utmost confidence in him. He’s probably one of the best football players who ever walked through these halls.
“We’re going to move both of them around. They are both exceptional athletes. Obviously, with Castro playing defense (free safety), if we can give him a few breaks here and there it’s good.”
Lincoln-Way Central saw a night of frustration turn to late hope when Hayes found McWilliams with 6:54 remaining. The point-after kick by Chris Power made it 10-7.
But Williams, who had been battling leg cramps, churned out critical yards for Richards on the subsequent drive.
“Definitely a first game,” Central coach Jeremy Cordell said. “Hats off to them. They made more plays than we did.”