Morris eyes Big 12 East title

Updated: October 18, 2011 6:08PM

The Bears won big on Sunday Night Football and the World Series starts Wednesday, but those events probably aren’t the talk of the town in Morris.

“It’s title week, boys, it’s title week,’’ Morris coach Alan Thorson told his team after Friday’s victory over Rochelle. “We’ve got to get focused.’’

Unbeatens Morris and Kaneland already have clinched playoff berths, but they’ll meet Friday at Morris to determine which team enters the postseason as the Northern Illinois Big 12 East champion.

“This is exactly where we wanted to be,’’ Thorson said. “These boys have worked hard, doing everything we’ve asked them to get to this point — on our field, playing Kaneland, a team that beat us last year. It’s definitely going to mean a lot to these kids.’’

In 2010, Kaneland advanced to the Class 5A semifinals after winning the Big 12 East.

“It’s going to be the biggest game of the year,’’ Morris quarterback Austin Feeney said. “It will be two undefeated teams fighting for a conference championship.’’

Feeney kept Morris undefeated Friday with a 58-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for a 14-10 victory.

SouthWest Suburban Red

Playoff-bound Lincoln-Way West (6-2, 5-1) also will be playing for a conference championship and a higher seed Friday when the Warriors host Bradley (5-3, 4-2).

“It’s been a great season,’’ West coach Mark VanderKooi said. “We didn’t start out real strong, but the players kept battling. Every game has been a struggle in its own right. It’s been fun to win those types of games.’’

Running back Nick Dangles has rushed for 817 yards and eight touchdowns while quarterback Kyle Millner has passed for 734 yards and eight TDs.

The offensive line of center Jake Benson, guards Erwin Ferreira and Derek Gurnea and tackles Brennan Mulroe and Colin McGovern has been solid in the trenches.

Defensively, linebackers Tom Demma and Gus Mendez and safety B.J. Bello are the leading tacklers behind a strong front of ends Colin Mulroe and Mitch Reitzner and tackles Mark Schade and Keegan McShane.

VanderKooi points to a come-from-behind 25-17 victory over Andrew in Week 4 as a turning point.

“We were losing 17-6 and came back and won,’’ VanderKooi said. “I think that’s the game that gave us the confidence that we can beat anybody on our schedule.’’

Southwest Prairie

After both teams lost their first two games, Minooka and Oswego rebounded to win six in a row and will meet Friday in Oswego for the conference title.

Plainfield South and Plainfield North will clash with a possible state playoff berth on the line, while Plainfield Central visits Romeoville knowing a victory clinches a playoff spot for the Wildcats.

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