If Romoeville needed any proof that Lincoln-Way was a legitimate football team, it got it on the Knights’ first series that ended in a touchdown.
Unfortunately for Lincoln-Way, that was the jolt the Spartans needed. No. 5 Romeoville rolled to a 31-7 lead before putting up their fourth victory in as many tries, 31-21.
“They got to us first, but we came back,” said senior fullback Justin Wooley, who scored three touchdowns and a two-point conversion and gained 174 yards. “We started to play football. We handled it very well. It woke us up.”
The offense woke up, as evidenced by the 31 points, but so did the defense. Two late fourth-quarter TDs by a game Lincoln-Way offense only made the score close.
Romeoville’s linebacker crew of Shawn Galloway, Bob Rucka, Byron Benion and Rodney Jackson stopped the Knight offense that scored 47 points last week. Galloway had three sacks of Lincoln-Way sophomore quarterback Zak Kustok, Galloway had two and end Rob Stanich had another.
“All four of them are prime-time players and did a great job,” said Romeoville coach Bill Wienke, whose team is now 2-0 in SICA West play. “They brought pressure.”
Wooley broke open a close game at the half when he carried nine straight times as the Spartans drove 77 yards after the second-half kickoff. He sprinted 43 yards for the touchdown.
Lincoln-Way (2-3, 1-1) looked poised to score its second upset in as many weeks, trailing 14-7 at the half. A week ago, the Knights upset then-No. 1 Joliet 47-46.
The Knights received the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards on 13 plays. The drive sputtered and surged with equal regularity. Romeoville’s defense was poised to stop the sweeps and slashes of tailback Dennis Shannahan, and succeeded-holding him to 67 yards on 16 carries a week after he rushed for 239 yards and six TDs.
What the Spartans didn’t stop early was a screen pass from quarterback Kustok to Shannahan, good for 35 yards on a third and 10. Seven plays later, Marty Seraukis scored on a 3-yard run.
Romeoville scored twice the next three times it had the ball, with fullback Wooley scoring both touchdowns and a two-point conversion.
On the first drive, 68 yards in eight plays, Wooley was the decoy running into the line. With much of the attention on the 210-pound senior, quarterback Matt Jesiolowski was able to roll out for gains of 24, 19 and 16 yards to move the ball to the L-W 5. Wooley took it in on two tries, the last a 1-yarder.
Wooley needed only two carries to cover 48 yards to give Romeoville the lead. He went outside, running 22 yards the first time and 26 for the score with 7:01 left in the half. He ran for the two-pointer for a 14-7 margin.
