by Roy Taylor, Daily Herald Correspondent

A combination of physical prowess and execution is required to win football games.

According to Glenbard South’s coaches and players, their team came up short in both areas in their matchup at Plainfield South Friday night.

Although the Raiders (0-2) looked as if they were changing the momentum of the game early in the second half, Plainfield South (2-0) cruised to a 42-21 win.

Glenbard South trailed 20-0 late in the second quarter when quarterback Tim O’Shea led his team on an 11-play, 65-yard drive that culminated in a 2-yard touchdown run by split end Will Hill. The Raiders trailed 20-7 at halftime.

On the first play of the third quarter, O’Shea found a wide-open Hill streaking down the middle of the field, but Hill could not corral O’Shea’s pass. Five plays later, the Raiders’ drive ended at their 42-yard line after a fumble. The host Cougars then scored on their next three possessions, putting the game out of reach.

“We missed opportunities, dropped passes and shot ourselves in the foot every time we got something going,” O’Shea said. “At the end of the first half, when we scored that touchdown, we really felt like we were carrying that momentum into the second half, but we didn’t execute. We have a lot of weapons on our offense, so we never thought we were out of it when it was 20-0.”

Following the three Plainfield South scores, the Raiders found themselves in a 42-7 hole with just more than six minutes remaining in the game, but they did not give up without a fight.

Starting at their own 30, O’Shea and his running backs executed six running plays, gaining 17 yards before the quarterback hit receiver Jeff Dobie for a 53-yard touchdown pass. The Raiders recovered the ensuing onside kick, then put together a 46-yard drive that culminated in another touchdown pass from O’Shea to Dobie.

With less than 10 seconds remaining, the Raiders’ final onside kick attempt was recovered and returned by the Cougars, ending the game.

Outside of the second-quarter scoring drive, Glenbard South coach Dan Starkey found few positives to take away from the game.

“With that score at the end of the first half, and us getting the ball back in the third quarter, we really felt like we had a good opportunity to get back into the game,” he said. “But our defense couldn’t stop them in the first half. They pounded the ball on us, and when that happens, it’s going to be a long night. We’ve faced a couple of teams the last two weeks that were just more physical than we were, and we have a lot of work to do.”