Wins have been hard to come by for Plano this season.
The Reapers were competitive in losses during the early stretch before back-to-back blowouts left them sitting at 0-5.
Then Harvard came to town Friday night for Homecoming, with Plano also honoring its 2006 state championship team.
And finally, the Reapers had something to celebrate.
Plano broke through in a big way, routing the Hornets 47-0 for its first win of the season — and its most dominant victory since 2022.
“Just to get the town that feeling, get our first win of the season and ring the bell for the first time, it felt amazing,” Plano quarterback Braylon Schmidt said.
Schmidt was at the center of it all.
The senior ran for 200 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries, averaging more than 15 yards per attempt. He also completed 3-of-4 passes for 66 yards, including a 17-yard TD pass to Ethan Taxis.
That’s an bizarre stat line by most quarterback standards, but also a reflection of Plano’s opportunism.
“The way we run our offense, it’s based on what the defense does,” Plano coach Kyle Tutt said. “And they were continually trying to stop Taxis, which allowed our quarterback to have a big game.”
Taxis wasn’t limited to his touchdown catch, either.
The wideout added 97 yards and a TD on 12 carries, while freshman Oliver Wright chipped in 20 yards and another score to round out Plano’s dominant 383-yard, six-touchdown rushing performance.
“We knew we ran to run the ball down their throat,” Schmidt said.
Defensively, the Reapers were just as dominant.
Plano limited the Hornets to 111 yards for the game while forcing four turnovers. Landon Martin, Ryder Knapp and Taxis each intercepted Harvard’s Logan O’Brien, while freshman Brockton Schwartz added a fumble recovery.
Junior Devin Frazier also made his presence felt. The defensive end made a season-high five solo stops and had two assists, tying Cooper Beaty for the team lead with seven tackles.
“Devin Frazier is a kid who we’ve really pushed to be great,” Tutt said. “He plays every defensive snap that we have, and he really wanted to set the tone on the front. I thought he came out and had just an absolutely excellent game and what he did.”
Though Plano has its first win out of the way, it hardly takes the pressure off, especially with a playoff berth still in the cards.
“If anything, I think it just put its back on us,” Tutt said. “We had talked about we’re in playoff mode. When you lose five in a row, there’s not many more options, and so we know that we are fighting for every last possession that we have, and I thought our kids did a great job coming out, embodying that and playing like it was our last game.”
Oswego in hot pursuit of Southwest Prairie West title
Speaking of playoffs, Oswego looks poised to make another deep postseason run.
The Panthers are fresh off a 44-21 rout of Yorkville — a team that’s long been a thorn in Oswego’s side. Running back Graham Schwab scored three touchdowns, while the defense came alive in the second half, forcing turnovers on four straight drives.
Jake Walsh had the game’s first interception, and Cam Loghmani followed with a go-ahead pick-six. Caden Cooney recovered two fumbles, which both ultimately turned into 10 Panther points.
The second-half performance was more reminiscent of the defense that helped take Oswego to the Class 8A state title game last season.
But before the Panthers turn their full attention to the postseason, they have their sights set on something they couldn’t accomplish a year ago: winning the Southwest Prairie West title.
Oswego is tied for second in the SPC West standings with Minooka and Plainfield North, with all three teams sitting at 2-1 in division play.
All three are chasing Bolingbrook, who is a perfect 3-0 against the division and handed Oswego its only loss of the season in Week 4.
The Panthers still have a path to at least a share of the division title, but they’ll need some help. Bolingbrook would have to lose at least one of its final two division games — at home against Plainfield North in Week 8 or at Minooka in Week 9. A head-to-head tiebreaker does not apply in the division race.
Despite the situation, Oswego coach Brian Cooney said he hasn’t heard a word from his team about the Bolingbrook.
“What we try to tell them is handle your business, and that’s all you can control,” Cooney said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t three weeks ago when we played Bolingbrook, so, unfortunately, we’re at the mercy of needing some help from another school. But it is what it is. We just try to focus on handling our business.”
That mindset becomes even more important as Oswego continues to work without one of its best players, Ammar Banire, who missed his second straight game with a foot injury.
“It’s getting frustrating, to say the least, but he’s handling it great,” Cooney said. “Whenever he is cleared and thought to be able to come back, we’ll be looking forward to him, because he’s obviously a weapon.”
For now, the Panthers will continue to ride with Schwab as they take another break from division play for a conference crossover game at Joliet West, where they’ll try to do more fine-tuning and take another step toward a potential first-round bye in the Class 8A playoffs.
“It’s just constant improvement; don’t stay complacent,” Cooney said. “It’s nice to be able to have an offense that can put some points on the board when it’s clicking. But defensively, if we handle our business, I like the way our kids look when we’re clicking on all three phases.”
Sandwich heads to Woodstock for crucial KRC matchup
Despite residing in a different conference and a different county, Sandwich is in a nearly identical spot as Oswego.
Like Oswego, Sandwich is a one-loss team in league play, coming off a 29-21 home win over Woodstock North. The Indians are also tied with two other teams for second place in the Kishwaukee River Conference.
Sandwich, Johnsburg and Woodstock are all 3-1 in KRC play, trailing only Richmond-Burton — the defending conference champion that handed the Indians their lone conference loss in Week 4.
But Week 7 will be a telling one for Sandwich, as the Indians face a 5-1 Woodstock team that has scored 188 points while allowing just 58.
Sandwich should have the firepower to keep pace, with a lethal rushing attack and a formidable defense. With both teams fighting to remain in the thick of the conference race, this matchup could come down to a few key plays.