Turning the tables
Coe, H-F defense get the best of the Raiders and former teammate
Isaiah Coe confirmed that Homewood-Flossmoor’s defense had some extra motivation Friday night against Bolingbrook.
Quarterback Devyn Suggs spent his first two years at H-F before transferring to Bolingbrook over the summer.
“It’s always interesting when a person decides to transfer,” said Coe, a senior defensive end. “But when they transfer to a rival, that certainly added fuel to the fire. We had something to prove to him (Friday).”
H-F proved it ranks among the state’s elite Class 8A teams after a dominant 29-0 South West Suburban win over the host Raiders.
The 6-foot-3, 280-pound Coe led a defense that held the Raiders to 88 yards, including only 49 rushing yards.
The Vikings were just as effective against the pass, limiting Suggs to 38 yards. Suggs completed 4 of 14 passes.
Charlie Brooks, Noah Kimbrough, Justin Whiteside, Xavier Frazier and Coe contributed sacks.
Kasyus Kurns added an interception for H-F (4-0, 2-0), which has outscored opponents 142-44.
Bolingbrook (3-1, 1-1) had been just as dominant, outscoring opponents 123-24, but the Raiders met their match.
“Our game plan was to make the quarterback beat us,” H-F coach Craig Buzea said. “Theway our defense has been playing, you think sometimes three points is going to be enough.”
The Vikings relied on running back Leon Tanna to carry the day. The 5-11, 190-pound senior rose to the challenge, piling up 263 yards on 32 carries and three touchdowns.
Tanna finished with TDs of 16, 18 and 23 yards.
“I’m not the fastest or quickest, but I’m all of that,” Tanna said. “I just try to stay low and stay physical. It’s going to take four people to takeme down.”
The offensive line of Michael Ford, Denzel Bryant, Marcus Harper, Jarod Thornton and Erik White kept providing space for Tanna to pick up steady yards. Tanna acknowledged as much. “I give all the credit for this to the offensive line,” Tanna said. “They kept getting a good push and let me do my thing. They were really, really good.”
After Ethan Lindquist gave the Vikings a 3-0 lead with a 23-yard field goal at 6:20 of the first quarter, quarterback Dominick Jones hooked up with Isaiah Stanback ona 14-yard TD pass for a 10-0 halftime lead. Jones completed 5 of 8 passes for 64 yards.
Coe isn’t surprised by Tanna’s effectiveness.
“That’s my boy,” Coe said. “I knew what he was capable of. He’s been great. (Friday) was fun.”