Who? Warren Blue Devils (11-0) at Bolingbrook Raiders (8-3)
Where? The Black Turf at Bolingbrook High School

When? Saturday, November 16, 3 p.m.

How to watch:
https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/bolingbrook-high-school-bolingbrook-il/gam9752aa453f ($)

Tomorrow, the 11-0 Blue Devils travel to Bolingbrook to play the 8-3 Bolingbrook Raiders in the Quarterfinals of the 2019 IHSA Football playoffs.

This will be the second straight year the Blue Devils head to the Quarterfinals on the road and just the fourth time in school history that  Warren football has gone this far in the playoffs in its 96 years playing football in Illinois High School Association.

The Blue Devils have gone 0-3 in those previous three Quarterfinal games.

These Blue Devils are in the middle of a special season. Last week they clinched the most wins in school history with 11 by beating the Fremd Vikings 31-6 in the second round. The defense has only given up 34 points all season, and the offense has scored an outstanding 408 points this season. This will be the second time in three years these two teams face off in the playoffs. The Blue Devils went to Bolingbrook and upset the Raiders 28-14.

Here are a few keys to the game.

Can the Blue Devil offense stay hot?
Bolingbrook will be the toughest team on both sides of the ball we will see so far this season. They will be quick, athletic, and physical on the defensive side of the ball. They will try to set the tone with their physicality on defense to spark their offense. They are a phenomenal pass defense, but will they be able to stop the running of Derrick Mclaughlin who rushed for 242 yards on 41 carries last week. He and Christian Phillips will look to spark the offense.

Can the defense keep the Bolingbrook offense in check?
The Raider offense has an elite three-headed backfield with Justin Lynch, Jaquan Howard and Antonio King.

Much like Derrick Mclaughlin, Lynch, Howard, and King have all found the end zone in the postseason. In their first round matchup at Hinsdale Central, the Raiders piled up 384 yards on the ground along with 6 touchdown rushes en route to a 42-13 upset against the 12th ranked Red Devils.

The Blue Devil defense has been a stellar run defense all season led by Willis Singleton, Malachi McNeal, Seamus Mellican and company, and haven’t given up much on the ground this season. If they play the way they have played all season long, then look forward to a fun bus ride home back to Gurnee tomorrow night.

Penalties
The only negative during last week’s win vs Fremd was the amount of penalties on both sides of the ball from the Blue Devils. They had 12 penalties for over 100 yards last week. Some may say some officials haven’t seen a defense this physical, but either way, the amount of penalties and penalty yards need to go down in order for this team to beat a very talented Bolingbrook squad.

Prediction
Expect the Blue Devil defense to be able to stuff the Bolingbrook running game throughout the game and get a turnover or two. I also see Derrick Mclaughlin to have another stellar game running the football. Look for Quarterback Trinate Jacobs to hook up with his favorite receiver, Christan Phillips for a couple of touchdowns.
My Prediction: Warren 28, Bolingbrook 7