High school football: James Kwiecinski’s five touchdowns lead Lincoln-Way East past Bolingbrook

Bolingbrook’s young offense produced some breathtaking moments on Friday in Frankfort. The Raiders are built to score points. 

But No. 3 Lincoln-Way East is built to win. Rob Zvonar’s teams always seem to find a way to victory. He’s a defense-oriented coach but knew it would take a big point total to beat the Raiders. 

The Griffins’ offense delivered, pounding out 201 rushing yards to beat No. 11 Bolingbrook 42-32. 

Running back James Kwiecinski was the workhorse with 33 carries for 179 yards and five touchdowns. 

“He’s a dog,” Lincoln-Way East offensive lineman Josh Janowski said. “There aren’t always holes but he makes something happen every time. He just fights.”

Kwiecinski broke free for two 35-yard runs early in the game but from then on it was a slow, grinding charge. 

“We talked about taking time off the clock,” Kwiecinski said. “But we wanted to score and put them down too.”

The Raiders (3-2, 1-1 Southwest Suburban Blue) never led. The Griffins (5-0, 1-0) were up 35-19 at halftime but freshman quarterback Jonas Williams led Bolingbrook to two touchdowns in the third quarter to pull within 35-32. 

“That’s an unbelievable offensive football team,” Zvonar said. “The passing game is incredible with a freshman phenom at quarterback surrounded by all those skills.”

Williams was 22-for-45 for 384 yards. He threw five touchdowns and two interceptions. 

Lincoln-Way East senior Jake Scianna had both interceptions. The second came in the fourth quarter and snuffed out Bolingbrook’s momentum. 

“We made a few plays on defense here and there but this game was won by offense,” Zvonar said. “I’m awful proud of that group. They stayed persistent.”

Griffins quarterback Braden Tischer was 7-for-14 passing for 152 yards with one touchdown and one interception. 

“We grew a lot tonight and not all from good things,” Zvonar said. “From a lot of adversity. This will make us a better team down the road.”

Bolingbrook’s two star receivers, I’Marion Stewart and Kyan Berry-Johnson are juniors. Both made spectacular grabs and are developing more chemistry with Williams as the season advances. 

Stewart had eight catches for 205 yards and four touchdowns. Berry-Johnson added nine receptions for 141 yards and senior Kaleb Miller had four catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. 

The Raiders were without head coach John Ivlow, who missed the game due to a medical issue. 

“I feel terrible that [Ivlow] wasn’t here,” Zvonar said. “I talked to him on the phone today and wished him well. Hopefully his recovery is quick. Without him you have to give them even more credit.”

Lincoln-Way East travels to Sandburg next week. The Eagles upset the Griffins last season and took down Lockport on Friday. 

Bolingbrook has another major test next week against Homewood-Flossmoor. The Raiders are one of the area’s most intriguing teams. Expect them to take some more lumps this season, but they could mature into a special group next year.