Once the drawings for the first round of the 5A IHSA Football Playoffs had been established, Glenbard South Raiders quickly found out they had an immensely difficult challenge ahead of them. Being placed against St. Rita (5-4 prior to the game) was daunting, as they come from arguably one of the best football conferences in the state. 

Coming off of a huge 40+ victory over West Chicago, the Raiders brought that same momentum to the playoff game, scoring on the opening drive off of a 4-yard touchdown run from Sophomore Trevor Burnett, putting the Raiders up 7-0 early in the first quarter. However, this was where things took a turn for the worst for the Raiders. 

Unfortunately, South was unable to match the size and speed the Mustangs had, having been lead by St. Rita’s star sophomore running back, Kaleb Brown, who rushed for 227 yards and completed four touchdowns on only his fist seven carries of the half. 

As St. Rita continued to tally up touchdowns with every drive, it seemed impossible for the Raiders to comeback as the team was stopped four times on the Mustangs 1-yard line and turned it over on downs inside the redzone two other times in the half. During halftime the Raiders had a chance to regroup, but they were met with the same intensity from St. Rita as the Mustangs opened the half with a 70-yard kick return. It was clear at this point the Raiders’ chances of winning were all but over, and the game ended with a final score of 49-14.

Senior quarterback Nick Plaso never doubted the team’s ability and effort, even after his final high school game. “I’m proud of my teammates, and this was a great way to end my career here.” Plaso ended his varsity career throwing for 345 yards and a touchdown in his final game, finishing with an 11-9 record.