Hilltoppers’ top Joliet-area action

Updated: August 30, 2011 7:04PM

The first week of the high school football season featured a thrilling, last-minute victory for Joliet Catholic, convincing wins for Lincoln-Way East, Bolingbrook and Lemont, and hopeful signs for teams looking to build on last year or recover from a disappointing season.

Joliet Catholic sent Carmel on the long trip back to Mundelein wondering what happened Friday after a 75-yard Ty Isaac reception tied it with 35 seconds left and Isaac Grashoff kicked the winning extra point.

Lincoln-Way East, Bolingbrook and Lemont all scored at least 40 points, serving notice to the rest of their opponents that defensive mistakes — missed tackles, missed reads, playing out of position — probably will wind up on the scoreboard.

Take two of the quarterbacks, for example. East’s Blake Winkler threw for almost 1,800 yards last season and he started this year with a 183-yard effort vs. Edwardsville.

Bolingbrook’s Aaron Bailey combined for more than 1,300 yards passing and running in 2010 and Friday directed the Raiders offense to most of their 536 total yards against Plainfield South.

Meanwhile, new Lincoln-Way West quarterback Kyle Millner tossed three TDs Saturday and could help the Warriors’ relatively young program keep making strides after an 8-3 season.

Speaking of passing, Joliet West passed through a few counties Friday on its way to Algonquin and a 21-6 loss to Jacobs. The Tigers did get a lot of mileage out of their backfield, led by Kameron Hargrove, Korey Rogers and SaVaughn Alexander.

“This is the first year we’ve had depth in the backfield in a long time,” West coach Jason Aubry said. “There’s been years we’ve had one guy and if he goes down, we don’t have anything. We’ve got a lot of backs that can carry the ball this year.”

And keep an eye on Peotone, a 40-0 winner over Reed-Custer with a new double-wing offense after a 3-6 record last season. The Blue Devils’ home opener is Friday against Wilmington, which is smarting from a 14-11 home loss to Manteno.

Sideline success

Following in the coaching footsteps of Dan Darlington and George Dergo comes with the territory at Morris, but it’s not nerve-racking for second-year coach Alan Thorson.

“The program has been fortunate to have two really good coaches in a row,” Thorson said. “Dan Darlington put the program on the map and set the tradition. Coach Dergo came and in his five years had a state title and a runner-up.”

Morris is working toward a longer playoff run this season after losing in the first round last year. Thorson’s team took a giant first step with a victory Friday over Grundy County rival Minooka.

“Once you start playing the games, you don’t think about who coached before you,” Thorson said. “Coach Dergo has been very supportive of me. I don’t think of it as a weight on my shoulders or anything like that. Hopefully, someday I can put my name up there with those guys.”

Motivational toolbox

Being the team to beat again ahead of T.F. South and Oak Forest in the South Suburban Blue can be a good thing for Lemont’s coaching staff.

“It’s something we use to remind the kids,” coach Eric Michaelsen said. “If we feel the work ethic isn’t there, we’re able to say, ‘Hey, T.F. South kids aren’t taking today off. The Oak Forest kids aren’t.’ We try to use that to our advantage.”

The sight of several Lemont players wearing sleeveless T-shirts during a preseason practice brought a smile to Michaelsen’s face.

“They like to think they’ve got the guns there with their arms,” Michaelsen said. “Usually what you’ll see is they get sunburned. That’s about all they’ll get out of it.”

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.