With Luna, Plainfield South win over Joliet West in the stars
By Tina Akouris takouris@suntimes.com September 1, 2012 2:30AM
Plainfield South reciever Mike Valentine trys to make the catch as Joliet West's Wesley Akinola defends. | John Patsch~For Sun-Times Media
Player of the game
Quarterback Ricky Luna led Plainfield South to a 31-27 win over Joliet West, scoring three touchdowns and rushing for 101 yards.
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Updated: October 3, 2012 6:21AM
Plainfield South quarterback Ricky Luna ran for more than 100 yards and scored three touchdowns as the host Cougars beat a lightning-quick Joliet West squad 31-27 Friday in Plainfield.
Luna scored the go-ahead touchdown from two yards out with 1:42 to play in the game. Luna, who ran for 101 yards on three carries, put the Cougars ahead for good with the score.
“Their defense was doing a good job covering up the seams and we didn’t start so good, but we made the adjustments at halftime and hit the quick routes,” Luna said. “The second half when we came out and drove the field, that was the turning point.”
With about a minute remaining, Joliet West tried to regain the lead. But the Tigers stalled inside the 30 and quarterback Ashton McCullough threw four consecutive incompletions, the final one in the end zone.
The Cougars (1-1) trailed 27-24 when Luna scampered in to account for the final score. Luna scored three times, on touchdown runs of 17 and two yards, and he also tossed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Kosirog.
Joliet West (1-1) was led by running back Korey Rogers, who rushed for 113 yards on 20 carries.
Rogers stole the show in the first half, putting Joliet West up 15-14 at halftime.
Rogers, who scored two touchdowns in the first half on runs of 76 and 1 yard, put the Tigers up by a point with 1:34 to play in the half when he caught a 2-point conversion pass in the far corner of the end zone from McCullough.
Perhaps Rogers’ most electric moment was his 76-yard touchdown run down the middle on the Tigers’ first play from scrimmage to start the second quarter. That tied the score at 7.
Getting to that point was almost a comedy of errors in a penalty-filled half. Plainfield South racked up eight flags, while the Tigers had three.
Each team’s quarterback threw at least one interception. Luna threw two picks and Joliet West’s Anthony DiNardo had one.
Joliet West started the game on the wrong foot when the Tigers fumbled the kickoff and Plainfield South linebacker Mason Matesevic recovered.
That set up the Cougars’ first score at the 10:02 mark of the first quarter. Luna ran in from six yards out, but coughed up the ball when he was hit. Luckily, Cougars receiver Mike Valentine was there to recover the ball in the end zone.
