High school football: Four Downs, news and notes from Week 5

Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

A freshman starting at quarterback is rare. Bolingbrook’s Jonas Williams is also unique because he beat out a talented senior for the job.

He’s a great athlete with a big arm, but Williams’ poise in the pocket and decision-making has been incredibly impressive through the first five weeks of the season.

Lincoln-Way East coach Rob Zvonar called Williams (6-3, 180 pounds) a phenom after he threw for 384 yards and five touchdowns in a loss to the Griffins on Friday. 

“The last quarterback I saw like that was [Naperville Central’s Payton Thorne, now at Michigan State] and he was doing those things as a senior,” Zvonar said. “My only hope is [Williams] decides to go to IMG or somewhere. I’ll give him the brochure.”

Zvonar was joking about the brochure, but that is the big question surrounding Williams after five weeks of the season. Will he remain at Bolingbrook for the next three years or move on to a prep school?

“I’ll probably stick around,” Williams said. “It’s been great to come out here and do what I love every Friday.”

The Raiders have two very talented receivers that are just juniors, I’Marion Stewart and Kyan Berry-Johnson. Bolingbrook didn’t establish much of a running game in its losses to Simeon and Lincoln-Way East, but the passing game was so explosive that the Raiders still managed to score more than 30 points in both games. 

“We haven’t beaten Lincoln-Way East in 11 years,” Williams said. “Not many teams put up a fight against them like we did. We will see them again.”

The actual football

A violent ending marred Morgan Park’s 22-13 win against Kenwood on Saturday at Lane Stadium, but it was an important football game. 

The very young Mustangs were impressive. Sophomore quarterback Marcus Thaxton was 7-for-22 passing for 93 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. But he was clutch when it mattered. 

Junior running back Tysean Griffin had 18 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown. 

“We are young but we are not inexperienced,” Morgan Park coach Chris James said. “We have big flashes of talent but we have to keep developing and not make mistakes. We played well down the stretch and played physically against an older, talented team.”

What a quarter

The most interesting result of the weekend was Crete-Monee’s 48-42 win over Joliet Catholic. It snapped the Hilltoppers’ 24-game winning streak. 

The teams combined for 44 points in the third quarter. The Warriors trailed by two when it began and led 42-28 heading into the fourth quarter. 

Joshua Franklin, who plays multiple positions, is one of the state’s most thrilling talents. He spent a lot of time at quarterback last season, but Cory Stennis has stepped into the position this season. He threw for 457 yards and four touchdowns against Joliet Catholic. 

Senior receiver Lynel Billips-Williams has become another major threat for Crete-Monee. He had a massive game against the Hilltoppers, finishing with 12 catches for 256 yards and three touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.

Upstate Eight update

There are a pair of undefeated teams worth keeping an eye on in the Upstate Eight: Glenbard South and South Elgin. They will face off on Friday in South Elgin.

Senior Jalen Brown set a school record for the Raiders in Week 5, rushing for 286 yards in a 47-6 win against Bartlett. Brown scored four touchdowns.