Will Cook County News

By Claude Martinez.

Palos Hills – Friday nights are made for being under the lights, and on August 29, both teams lived up to that motto.

It was a tightly contested game at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School, 8015 W. 111th St., Palos Hills, where the Chargers hosted the Romeoville High School Spartans.

In the first quarter, the ball was placed at the two-yard line with the clock reading 6:47. Stagg’s senior running back Olaf Kozub (#9) took the handoff and cut to his right. Thanks to a key block by senior running back Landen Moreno (#22), a gap opened up and Kozub fell into the end zone for the score.

Later, Kozub broke off a big run up the middle, bringing the ball down to the 17-yard line. On third down, he ran to his left and scored a 14-yard touchdown.

At the end of the first quarter, Stagg led 12–0

Right away in the second quarter, Romeoville threw a pick-six on their first snap. Sophomore defensive back Jaylen Logan (#1) returned it 75 yards for the score.

It was tough for both teams to find scoring opportunities, after that, but Romeoville’s sophomore quarterback Richard Conley (#1) stepped up.

With 2:51 left in the second quarter, Conley flicked a short pass to junior wide receiver/running back Keilan Winfield (#11), who took it 80 yards to the house.

At the half, the score was 19-6 in favor of Stagg. But from there, the game would shift.

In the third quarter, Conley delivered again with a huge gain and a touchdown. Junior tight end Ohimai Ozolua (#87) hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass.

With the score now 19-13 and 8:53 remaining in the third, it was crunch time. Both teams battled, trading possessions multiple times. Then, with 6:15 left in the fourth, Conley connected with Winfield once again to tie the game at 19-19 under a now-drizzling sky.

The PAT kick was made by junior kicker Jayden Orellana, giving the Spartans a one-point lead and they held on.

FINAL: Romeoville 20, Amos Alonzo Stagg 19.

Romeoville really began to click in the second half, and that was mainly due to guys stepping up.

“We brought back a lot of juniors so for a lot of them this is their first varsity experience,” said seventh-year head coach Justin Trovato. “We could see the nerves in the first half. We were kind of hesitant. So, [the] second half was all about just executing our job.”

One of those jobs was ball protection. “We turned the ball over four times in the first half. If we took care of the football and tackled, we were going to be fine and we did,” stated Trovato.

The WCCN Player of the Game was senior quarterback Richards Conley, who had three passing touchdowns.

Now in his third year in the starting position, he knows that the game pace doesn’t always need to be so fast. “Just learning to slow the game down myself and [take] command of our offense,” said Conley. “We’ve been sticking with our offensive scheme for three years,… just mainly slowing it down and doing what I do best with my legs and my arm.”

Conley then highlighted one of his players who caught the game tying touchdown in the fourth quarter “Number 11 [Keilan Winfield, wide receiver] man, he’s a junior coming up. He’s got a lot to learn, but I trust each and every one of my guys, in that receiving core, and I just put it in a spot where I knew he was going to be at.”

The offensive line also stepped up. “They played one hell of a game tonight, excuse my French. You know, picking up blitzes left and right and up the middle, calling guys out to let me know where the blitz was coming was a big key in this win,” Conley stated.

Coach Trovato added about Conley’s character, “He had a tough first half. He was part of all four turnovers and he could have easily folded. But he didn’t. He stuck with it.”

There was also a new bonding between Conley and Winfield. “That’s a new connection,” said Trovato. “I think it’s going to work and it’s going to be a good year for those two.”

The Spartans’ next game will be at home on September 5.

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