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Football: Bolingbrook tops Loyola, claims first football title
Updated: November 26, 2011 11:01PM
CHAMPAIGN – Nothing could stop Aaron Bailey and Bolingbrook from reaching their ultimate goal on Saturday night.
Not five turnovers, a drenching rain or Loyola’s vaunted passing attack could derail the Raiders as they pulled out a 21-17 win over the Ramblers in the Class 8A championship at Memorial Stadium.
Bailey ran 33 times for 149 yards and completed 8 of 13 passes for 140 yards with two interceptions as the Raiders won their first state championship. Xavier Perkins had six catches for 119 yards for Bolingbrook, whose only other title-game appearance came in 1993 when it lost 7-0 to Belvidere in the Class 5A final.
“We knew Aaron wouldn’t let us down,” said Diaron Rhodes, who had a late interception to help seal the win. “He works hard. He made a couple mistakes, but he always comes through for us.”
Bailey put the Raiders ahead to stay at 21-17 when he burst up the middle for a 33-yard touchdown run with 10:52 remaining in the game.
Bolingbrook (13-1) held Loyola to 182 total yards as quarterback Malcolm Weaver was 10 of 31 passing for 99 yards.
Rhodes picked off Weaver with 3:39 left in the fourth quarter.
“A lot of people didn’t throw my way,” Rhodes said. “Coach Todd [Howard] told me, ‘Don’t think about making a play, just go out and make it.’”
“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Bolingbrook assistant coach Bob Corra, who has been with the program since 1974. “I think I’ll wake up tomorrow and the game won’t have started yet.”
Loyola took its last lead, 17-14, on Will Cushwa’s 40-field goal with 1:48 to play in the third quarter.
Loyola opened the scoring on Reed Michalek’s 25-yard touchdown run with 3:15 left in the first quarter. Bailey tied it with a 10-yard scoring run at 3:15 of the first and Jaden Huff’s one-yard plunge gave Bolingbrook a 14-7 lead with 1:48 left in the first half.
Weaver’s four-yard touchdown run six seconds before halftime tied it at 14.
Bolingbrook lost three fumbles in addition to Bailey’s two interceptions. Loyola had two turnovers.
Loyola had 46 rushing yards on five carries from Michalek and 41 yards on eight carries by Willie Palivos.
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