L-W East Calls on Defensive Trio for Offensive Punch

Those who follow high school football in the Chicago area most likely know about quarterback Blake Winker's strong and accurate arm, as well as his great ability to read defenses. When you think of the Griffins and their offensive firepower, the story starts with Winkler and wide receivers J.J. Robertson and Jay Yancy.

In Friday night’s crucial SouthWest Suburban Blue battle of unbeatens, three familiar names rose to the occasion to help —though this time they were players normally found on the defensive side of the ball.

Facing a fourth-and-2 on Bolingbrook's 46-yard line late in the third quarter, the Griffins inserted 6-foot-5, 210-pound senior Joel Magrum at tight end, 6-foot-2, 260-pound senior Matt Solner at fullback, and 5-foot-11, 235-pound senior Kevin Bayer at tailback.

Bayer was handed the ball for the first time this season on the fourth-down play and, although he appeared buried for a couple seconds near the line, he blasted through and wasn't taken down until he collected 29 yards. Bayer ran for three yards on the next play, before Winkler scampered 14 yards for a touchdown.

After Winkler connected with Yancy for the two-point conversion, the Griffins (6-0 overall, 4-0 in conference) pulled even at 14-all.

"We just wanted to help the offense, even though we're on defense," Bayer said. "And I couldn't have done it without the guys up front. I'm just grateful they gave me a chance."

Bayer's night in the backfield wasn't complete, though. With the Griffins facing a third-and-1 on the Bolingbrook 13-yard line, Bayer got the call again and took it in for what would prove to be the game-winner score, a 13-yard touchdown run.

"We worked a little bit of a jumbo package with him and Matt Solner and big Joel Magrum at tight end," Griffins coach Rob Zvonar said. "I think that was a huge spark and gave us some confidence and got the crowd into the game. We can't afford to lose (Bayer) on defense, but we're going to have to give him a few more touches on offense."

Bolingbrook had dominated the Griffins in the opening half on Friday, limiting them to just 85 passing yard and negative 29 rushing yards in the first half. The Raiders had prepared well for what Winkler and the aerial attack could do. Stopping Bayer was a new task, and one the Raiders hadn't anticipated.

"We run a 4-3 and we do that because we see so many spread teams," Raiders coach John Ivlow said. "We had a little trouble there when that guy came in, but we didn't align right on their touchdown.

"It's a credit to them. They got it done and I'm not saying our guys didn't do a good job. Maybe we need to be a little more creative like that too."

Having the big three defensive lineman make the transition to offense isn't entirely new for the Griffins. Solner rushed for a touchdown in the season opener against Edwardsville, and it's something the team has worked on throughout the season.

"We thought it would come against H-F, but we didn't want to show everyone the package," Bayer said. "We finally showed it and it worked very well. They couldn't stop it with the good push."

It also brought back memories of standout D.J. Pirkle (2007), who just finished a stellar career at Northern Illinois University. Pirkle was used in a similar way years ago.

"That would be a tremendous comparison," Zvonar said. "I think Kevin Bayer, Matt Solner and Joel Magrum would feel fortunate to be mentioned in the conversation with one of the best players we've ever had."

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