Read-Custer Comets shut out Coal City

Reed-Custer's Casey Barnes (13) and wide receiver Steven Davis celebrate against Coal City.
(Michael R. Schmidt/Herald News)

October 18, 2008BY ROB OESTERLE

BRAIDWOOD -- If there was ever a textbook example of how to dominate a football game, it was at Reed-Custer High School on Friday night.

The Comets man-handled Coal City along the line on both sides of the ball and came away with a 26-0 homecoming victory that wasn't as close as the score indicates. It also gave the Comets (6-2, 4-1) their second Interstate Eight Conference Large title in the last three years.

"Our defensive line did a great job," he said. "We were able to put pressure on their quarterback and we had a lot of plays for loss. Kyle Roach came alive tonight. He started playing on a regular basis about four weeks ago, and he made a big impact tonight.

"Any time you can shut out Coal City, you have done a very good job."

Both teams lost a big part of their offense in the first half. Reed-Custer's Garrett Sandefur, the Comets' leading rusher on the season, went out with a knee injury late in the first quarter, while Coal City quarterback Colt Smith was felled with a concussion midway through the second. Neither player returned.

"We lost Sandefur and they lost their quarterback," Cappel said. "Losing their quarterabck took Coal City out of a lot of things that they like to do."

Like move the ball.

The Coalers had just one first down in the first half, and that came as the result of a pass interference penalty.

"We were out-manned up front," Coal City coach Lenny Onsen said. "It's as simple as that. We lost our quarterback, but we weren't moving the ball much before he got hurt. And, our defense didn't get nearly enough 3-and-outs."

The Coalers (5-3, 3-2) were able to keep the Comets out of the end zone in the first quarter, but Reed-Custer got things moving in the second.

The Comets took over at the Coal City 40 after a punt late in the first quarter. On 3rd-and-5 from the Coaler 12, quarterback Casey Barnes hit tight end Jake Bolatto with a quick pass and Bolatto carried a Coaler defender into the end zone for a 6-0 lead.

It was the first of three TD passes for Barnes, who was 5-of-8 for 82 yards.

"It's nice to throw to the big guy," Barnes said. "He doesn't get much. He's usually blocking, so it's nice to see him get a touchdown."

Late in the second quarter, Reed-Custer's Ryan Garbin recovered a fumble at the Coal City 31. With 22 seconds left in the half, Barnes hit Steven Davis with an 18-yard touchdown pass for a 12-0 halftime lead. Davis, who took over for Sandefur at halfback, finished with 100 rushing yards on 11 carries and caught 2 passes for 53 yards and 2 TDs.

"Steven just ran perfect routes," Barnes said. "He got behind his guy and I just laid it up there for him."

Neither team scored in the third quarter, and Reed-Custer took over on its own 27 early in the fourth. Two runs by Garbin (18 carries, 79 yards) gained 11 yards before Davis gained 3. On the next play, Davis broke through a big hole and outran the Coal City defense for a 58-yard touchdown. Garbin added the conversion run for a 20-0 advantage.

Coal City muffed the ensuing kickoff and Reed-Custer recovered at the 39. On 3rd-and-6, Barnes hit Davis on a fly pattern for a 35-yard score.

"This was a big win for us," said Barnes, who doubles as a safety on defense. "It feels good to win the conference, especially against our big rivals. We really wanted the shutout, too. 26-0 sounds a lot better than 26-7."

The play of Roach, Bolatto and Dave Bunting up front helped Reed-Custer hold Coal City to just 2 total yards while racking up 292 of their own.

"We want to finish 7-2, but the pressure's off of us to make the playoffs," Cappel said. "It's very difficult to win a conference championship with teams like Wilmington, Coal City and Plano on the schedule.

"These kids have been through a ton of adversity. We've lost a lot of players due to injury or suspension, but this is a special group. We h ad 20 juniors and seniors tonight. They are real warriors."

Things don't get any easier for Coal City, which visits 2-time defending Class 3A champion Plano next week.

"The best thing about this game is that it's over," Onsen said. "We can prepare for next week. The kids will bounce back from this one. It's not like we haven't lost before.

"The kids are very disappointed, and they feel bad. But that's a good thing. It will make them that much hungrier going into next week."

October 18, 2008

6:31: We're here in Braidwood, and we just talked to Reed-Custer coach Dean Cappel. Can the Comets continue to overcome the injury bug? We'll see. It's shaping up as a cool homecoming night with intermittent rain.

6:35: What a run. Joe Reyes breaks on on 43-yard touchdown, along with a few tackles up the far sideline, as Coal City takes a 6-0 lead with 2 minutes remaining in the third quarter of the sophomore game.

6:47: Must be something about the number 25. Andrew Aguire scores a touchdown - he wears No. 25 like Reyes - and Brandon Cunning cunningly slips into the end zone for the 2-point conversion. Reed-Custer has an 8-6 lead with 7:03 left in the fourth quarter.

7:16: After taking a knee, Coal City clinches the 14-8 win. Expect a 7:40 kickoff for the varsity. By the way, Reed-Custer defers on the coin toss and will defend the north goal.

7:39: Hang in there, folks. I'm hoping we get started here in five minutes. Well, I can hear the band coming out so that's a good sign.

7:42: Coal City gets ready to receive and the kick sails out of bounds.

7:55: If you like running and defense, this game is for you. Coal City stops Reed-Custer on fourth down from the 13.

8:00: Coal City punts again after a second straight three-and-out. Comets start at the 40.

8:00: Stoppage. Looks like an injury to Garrett Sandefur, Reed-Custer's leading rusher. 8:03: End of quarter, deadlocked at 0-0. Sandefur has not returned, but he's back on his feet on the Comets' sideline.

8:07: Beware of Big Jake. On a play-action pass out of the offset wing-T, Casey Barnes connects with tight end Jake Bolatto for a 13-yard touchdown 1:48 into the second quarter. Reed-Custer leads 6-0. 8:14: Pass inteference gives Coal City its first first down, but Coalers are forced to punt.

8:17: Colt Smith, Coal City's quarterback, got the wind knocked out of him and walks off on his own power. Comets take a penalty, so it is back to third down. After a short gain, now Coalers will punt.

8:31: Kevin Gabehart, in for Smith, throws a swing pass that ends up being a lateral. Ryan Garbin recovers the fumble and Barnes is running the two-minute drill like a well-oiled machine.

8:33: From the shotgun double slot, Barnes spirals a 18-yard strike to Steven Davis on a corner route for a 12-0 lead with 22.4 seconds left until halftime.

8:37: Smith most likely will not return due to a mild concussion. Sandefur remains on the Comet sideline as well. 8:39: Halftime. Reed-Custer holds serve with a 12-0 lead, outgaining Coal City 142-minus 7.

9:08: Man, Coaler defense comes out and throws Garbin twice for a loss to start third quarter. Comets punt.

9:16: Defensive tackle Kyle Roach and defensive back Taylor Olson trade fumble recoveries for Reed-Custer and Coal City. Coalers punt again with 4:22 left in the third quarter.

9:26: Siren sounds to end third quarter. Reed-Custer maintains 12-0 lead.

9:35: Despite Marlin's tackle as near the goal line, Davis caps a 58-yard TD run from his wingback spot. With 7:41 left in the fourth quarter, Comets lead 20-0.

9:40: Fumble on the kickoff and Reed-Custer recovers. Barnes uses play-action to the singleback and darts a 35-yard TD to Davis. Comets lead 26-0 and, as Barnes yelled, are pouring it on. 9:45: Reserves for Reed-Custer are in the game. The clock is ticking ... 2:22 to go, still 26-0. 9:49: In the matchup of size against speed, Reed-Custer rides its brawny style to a 26-0 win. Thanks for tuning in and see ya next week.

Barnes works play-action passes to Bolatto, Davis to boost Reed-Custer

October 19, 2008BY BILL SCHEIBE Staff Writer

Twice during the first quarter Friday night, on back-to-back passes deep into the end zone, Reed-Custer High School quarterback Casey Barnes ended up with a pair of incompletions. Credit Coal City senior safety Kevin Gabehart on the first try.

Still, Gabehart's sideline deflection meant the Comets headed in another direction. So, on the second shot -- a fourth-down attempt from the 13 out of the shotgun singleback three-wideout formation -- Barnes snapped off his chinstrap in disgust, instantly blaming himself.

After misfiring to junior wingback/slot receiver Steven Davis on that post-corner route, however, Barnes returned to the scene of the crime with 22.4 seconds left in the second quarter, connecting on an 18-yard touchdown barn-burner to Davis for a 12-0 halftime lead.

If at first you don't succeed ...

"This one, I knew it was going to be there because the last time, I saw the defense and I saw exactly where they were going to be," Barnes said. "I knew exactly where (Davis) was going to be, I knew his speed, and I had to make sure I didn't overthrow him this time."

Speaking of overthrowing, Barnes sparked Reed-Custer to a coup d'etat of Coal City's stranglehold on the Interstate Eight Conference title as the homecoming Comets battled intermittent rain to claim the large division championship with a 26-0 win in Braidwood.

A 6-foot-1, 165-pound senior, Barnes finished 5-of-8 for 82 yards and tossed 3 touchdown passes for big-as-a-barn Reed-Custer (6-2, 4-1). Two of them wound up in Davis' gifted hands, the latter a 35-yarder with 6:03 remaining in the fourth quarter that sealed the win better than Perma-Seal.

While Davis did double duty due to the knee injury of junior halfback and leading rusher Garrett Sandefur, who departed on the Comets' second drive of the first quarter, the hookup with Barnes could be heard 'round Reed-Custer's opponents in the Class 4A playoff bracket.

... try, try again.

"I really didn't think I was going to catch it actually," said Davis, who contributed 11 rushes for 100 yards and 2 receptions for 53 yards. "I somehow ripped it out of their guy's hands and held onto it at the same time, and that was a perfect throw. We may have missed on it earlier, but Casey's throw, it was right there on the dot to me."

"Well, he stepped up tonight and he had a great game," Reed-Custer coach Dean Cappel said of Barnes. "He showed what he is capable of, and it's something that is a very positive thing for us going into the playoffs. It's going to say to people, 'Maybe we can't commit that many players in the box.'"

For at least a quarter, Coal City (5-3, 3-2) boxed in Sandefur out of the offset wing-T. He went to the Comets' sideline with 9 carries for 29 yards, with junior fullback Ryan Garbin (18 carries, 79 yards) shouldering much of the chain-moving load thereafter. Jim Benson switched from wingback to halfback, Davis settling in as the wing.

Only 1:48 into the second quarter, Reed-Custer cashed in, with Barnes floating a pin-point play-action pass to senior tight end Jake Bolatto on third-and-5 for a 12-yard touchdown strike and a 6-0 lead. The preceding four plays had Garbin and Davis trading gains of 6 yards before Davis' 3 and Garbin's 2.

"No, not at all," Bolatto said about being denied. "We ran that dive all night long to set it up, and we thought we were going to use it on the 2-point conversion with Chris (Robinson) being out. We practiced it all week long, they finally called it, and Casey threw one heckuva ball. It was right there for me."

"We did that last week, too," Barnes recalled. "I didn't think it was going to work this week, but it's a perfect play. Everybody concentrates on the run and he's wide open in the end zone every time. It's probably the third time we've run it and he has been open every time."

Time after time, Reed-Custer relied on its Whopper-sized running game as the prelude to Barnes' play-action fries. Several times, the Comets came out in a package that stationed the 6-2, 220-pound Benson and 6-0, 255-pound Kyle Roach in a jumbo power-I that caused the Coalers to inch oh-so-closer.

That opened up the seam to Bolatto. Afterward, Cappel kidded him by saying, "This guy, the big, burly No. 82. Hey, you got a touchdown pass tonight. I told you, sooner or later, you would get one." All Bolatto could do is beam like the sun.

Without any semblance of rays, Barnes brought the heat. In the past two weeks, with Reed-Custer blazing its winning streak to three straight, Barnes has nailed 7-of-10 passes for 133 yards and 5 TDs.

If the shoe fits ...

"They've watched film on us all year and they've seen it all," Bolatto said. "You know, we pound the ball down the field, and with Casey throwing the ball how he did tonight, that's a great plus for us. He threw those balls dead-on -- he couldn't throw them any better."

"Coal City had a good game plan and they stuffed our run early, took some things away from us," Cappel said. "But you know what, I have awesome assistants in Mike Orwig, Kevin Young and Mike Kettwig, and they did a great job with our game plan and the execution."

The final executioner's song occurred on jet play-action to the singleback out of the shotgun, with Barnes delivering the dagger to Davis on a stutter-and-go for the closing 35-yard TD.

... wear it.

"It's basically a fly route and Davis uses his speed to beat everybody," Barnes said. "I love play-action because when we run, run, run, then they see the fake and they bite on the run."

"Yes, we have a good line, we have good running backs and we're perfect on the ground," Davis said. "It's very important we pound it and keep pounding it, but when we can hit that play-action pass, it's awesome."

My first varsity game: Casey Barnes of Reed-Custer

October 14, 2008

By BILL SCHEIBE

Year in school: Senior.

Position: Quarterback/defensive back.

Background: In his third season on the varsity, he has rushed for 196 yards on 59 carries and scored 9 touchdowns, while completing 20 passes for 291 yards and 3 TDs.

First varsity game: "My first start was against Wilmington, and I remember it was fast. Just fast. And now it seems a lot easier, a lot slower. I really feel like I can dictate the game, and back then, the game dictated to me."

Comfort zone: "You get more comfortable every game that you play. Every time you have a good game, you trust your guys even more, and then you know exactly what you can and can't do, how far you can push your teammates and how far you can't push them."

Finally, continued football success: "It feels great to know that we are actually a football power now as a school. I remember watching teams growing up as a kid, and there were times we were lucky to win three games."

-- Interviewed by Bill Scheibe

Reed-Custer runs all over Manteno in I-8 rout

October 11, 2008

By Mike Fitzgerald--FOR THE HERALD NEWS

MANTENO -- The plan for Reed-Custer High School's football team Friday night was simple.

Keep the ball away from Manteno.

The Comets worked the plan to near perfection, amassing 23 first downs en route to a 48-12 Interstate Eight Large Division victory.

The Comets (5-2, 3-1) got monster performances from junior running backs Ryan Garbin and Garrett Sandefur. Sandefur ran 22 times for 163 yards and scored touchdowns of 4, 7 and 56 yards. Garbin, meanwhile, had 102 yards on 21 carries and TDs of 9 and 3 yards.

The victory sets up big matchup with neighborhood rival Coal City next week.

"We challenged the kids to start fast and grind out some yards," Reed-Custer coach Dean Cappel said. "They (Manteno) throw the ball very well. Our game plan was to keep the ball on the ground, move the chains and eat up the clock and that worked pretty well tonight.

"We have seven guys who block real well from tight end to tight end. Jim Benson, Alex Stanley, Sergio Martinez, Stephen Heap, Dave Bunting, Jason Baker and Jake Bolatto all do a real good job up front for us. And Garbin and Sandefur are so special and they are only juniors. They will be a force for a couple of years here."

The Comets took a 7-0 lead on Garbin's 9-yard run with 6:30 to play in the first quarter. Manteno then botched a punt snap and the Comets took over at the Manteno 13. On the second play of the drive, Sandefur went over from 4 yards out.

Reed-Custer's Chris Robinson intercepted a pass on the next Manteno possession, setting the Comets up at the Panthers' 46. Eight plays later, Sandefur capped the drive with a 7-yard run with 11:56 left until hafltime.

Reed-Custer forced another punt and used a 10-play drive to go 71 yards, with Garbin scoring from 3 yards out with 3:16 to go.

Reed-Custer opened the second half and drove 55 yards, ending on Casey Barnes' 21-yard screen pass to Steven Davis, who broke three tackles on the play, for a 34-6 lead. The Barnes-to-Davis combo worked again with 1:44 left in the third, this timeon a 30-yarder. Sandefur broke one for 56 yards with 11 seconds left in the third to finish the scoring.

Barnes finished 2-of-2 for 51 yards and 2 TDs.

"It just seemed like every time we needed a first down we got it," Cappel said. "We played pretty smart. Overall, it's our fifth win and I think we have enough points for the playoffs. I think we've taken a step."

Coalers, Comets get wins

October 5, 2008

From Staff Reports

Winning on the road is always a key to a successful football season, regardless of the level.

Coal City High School and Reed-Custer both found winning formulas on Friday and were able to post Interstate State Eight Conference road victories.

The Coalers traveled to Sandwich and took a 35-14 decision over the Indians. Reed-Custer handed Herscher a 33-7 setback.

Both were I-8 large school games.

"This was a good one to get," Coal City coach Lenny Onsen said. "The players were focused and played very well. This was a good one."

One of the key plays for the Coalers (4-2, 2-1) was an incredible 101-yard return of a pass interception for a score by Kevin Gabehart. The 5-foot-10, 163-pound senior picked off a second-quarter pass and returned it 101 yards for a score.

During last week's 28-21 win over Peotone, Coal City received pass interception TDs from Taylor Olson and Dan Marlin.

"Kevin's return for a touchdown was something else," Onsen said. "That was a magnificent play."

The Coalers increased a 14-7 halftime lead to 21-7 after three quarters.

Junior quarterback Colt Smith had a positive evening -- completing 13-of-16 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown. His TD pass was a 23-yarder to Alec Smith in the fourth quarter.

Smith, Marlin and Bobby Kroeger added touchdown runs for Coal City. Kroeger finished with a team-high 77 yards rushing.

Coal City junior defensive back Anthony Hakey had 9 tackles. Junior linebacker Tiger Onsen contributed 8.

Reed-Custer wins -- The Comets (4-2, 2-1) built a 16-0 lead after one quarter and increased that to 26-0 at halftime and 33-0 after three quarters.

Reed-Custer's defense limited Herscher (4-2, 2-1) to a negative 11 yards rushing and just 6 first downs. The Tigers finished with 117 yards compard to 235 for Reed-Custer.

"We built that early lead and never looked back," Reed-Custer coach Dean Cappel said. "This was a big rebound for us after losing to Sandwich."

The Comets' Garrett Sandefur scored the game's first touchdown on a 3-yard run in the opening quarter. After Reed-Custer posted a safety, junior Steven Davis returned the ensuing kickoff 72 yards for a touchdown.

Sandefur, a junior, finished with a game-high 108 yards rushing. He broke a 10-yard run for a score in the third quarter. Later in the quarter, Jim Benson returned an interception 35 yards for a score.

Late TD knocks off Reed-Custer

September 28, 2008

BRAIDWOOD -- Sandwich High School scored 15 fourth-quarter points on Friday to top Reed-Custer 15-14 in Interstate Eight Conference large school play.

The Comets (3-2, 1-1) owned a 6-0 lead after three quarters. Junior running back Garrett Sandefur scored on a 10-yard run with 1:21 .

Then with 4:46 remaining in the game, junior quarterback Casey Barnes scored on a 1-yard run to put the Comets up 14-7.

But with 1:41 left, Sandwich ( 3-2, 2-0) scored and added a 2-point conversion to take the decision.

"This was a tough loss to take," Reed-Custer coach Dean Cappel said. "Sandwich chose to go for the two points and they got it. This was a tough one.

"Garrett Sandefur had an outstanding game. He ran hard and had some outstanding runs."

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Sandefur led Reed-Custer rushers with 106 yards on 18 carries.

The Comets finished with 189 yards compared to 171 for the Indians. Sandwich passed for no yards.

"Now we have to regroup and get it going again," Cappel said. "We'll have to bounce back."

September 13, 2008

By Larry Lindholm special to the herald news

BRAIDWOOD -- In a high school football game featuring two unbeaten teams, Wilmington made it look rather easy.

Riding a stingy defense and opportunistic offense, the Wildcats pitched a shutout -- 21-0 -- against Reed-Custer in an Interstate Eight Conference crossover.

Wilmington (3-0, 0-0) built a 14-0 halftime lead and never looked back.

With 2:25 remaining in the first quarter, Wilmington junior quarterback Colin Webb completed an 8-play, 65-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.

A key play in that drive was a 35-yard completion from Webb to John VanDuyne to the Reed-Custer 16 where Webb then bolted on a 15-yard run to the 1.

Jeremy Bailey broke a 40-yard TD run with 3:39 remaining in the first half. During that 5-play, 62-yard excursion to the end zone, Webb had a 20-yard scamper against the Comets (2-1, 0-0).

The Wildcats, who held their opponents to a negative 31 rushing yards in the opening half, increased their margin to 21-0 with 7:55 left in the third quarter. Zach McWilliams scored on a 40-yard touchdown run.

In the first half, the Wildcats' defense allowed negative 15 yards with three sacks. For the game, Wilmington's defense limited Reed-Custer to a minus 28 yards rushing on 33 carries.

Reed-Custer managed just 2 yards.

The Wildcats' defense harassed Reed-Custer quarterback Casey Barnes all night. Barnes was sacked four times.

Last week, Wilmington's defense was again dominant during a 41-0 conference crossover win over Peotone.

"This was a typical conference game and our defense was able to get Reed-Custer into long situations on second and third down," Wilmington coach Jeff Reents said.

"We were able to blitz and get to the quarterback. When I kept looking out on the field, there were a lot of white jerseys around the ball. Our gang tackling was important in this victory."

The Wildcats finished with 218 yards rushing and 44 passing for 262 yards. Bailey finished with 59 yards on 5 carries. Webb, who completed 2-of-5 passes for 44 yards, added 56 rushing yards in 6 tries.

"I was glad that we were able to remain physical and not let up in this game," Reents said. "This was two conference rivals going after each other. We were able to remain aggressive all night."

Reed-Custer coach Dean Cappel saw way too much of Wilmington's tenacious defense.

"Wilmington stymied us all night," Cappel said. "We could not get anything going against them.

"Our flaws showed up in this one. And against a team the caliber of Wilmington when it is playing well, that is going to happen. But you can't take anything away from Wilmington which played a fantastic game, especially on defense.

"It was a simple case of Wilmington's defense dominating us in most every facet of the game."

Both teams hit the road next Friday with the Wildcats visiting Westmont and the Comets going to Peotone.

"We have some momentum built up and we want to keep it going," Reents said.

Reed-Custer 21, Lisle 12 -- At Lisle, The Comets used the hard running of junior Ryan Garbin (89 yards on 20 carries) and senior quarterback Casey Barnes (11 for 86) to post the home win over Lisle.

The 6-1, 165-pound Barnes scored on runs of 1 and 37 yards. Both came in the first quarter.

Leading 14-0 after three quarters, the Comets scored again with 3:20 remaining in the game on a 2-yard Barnes run.

"We were effective running the ball," Reed-Custer coach Dean Cappel said. "Besides Barnes and Garbin, I was happy with how Steven Davis and Garrett Sandefur ran. We were able to consistently move the ball on he ground."

Davis added 51 yards in 9 carries while Sandefur had 38 in 8 attempts.

"The defense came up with some big plays to help along the way," Cappel said. "We're all happy with the results."

Jim Benson had 10 tackles, Barnes added 8 and Chris Robinson finished with 7. Derek Albin had a key fumble recovery for the Comets in the fourth quarter.