WW South makes sure of first-round win
Wheaton Warrenville South knows better than to take any first-round playoff opponent lightly, so Benet got the full Tigers experience Friday night in Wheaton.
Still stinging from a first-round loss to Downers Grove North two years ago, WW South made sure of a 49-7 victory in a Class 7A playoff game Friday.
“This is going to be a personal game for us for the rest of this program's history, as long as coach Muhitch is here,” Tigers senior defensive lineman William Davis said. “We have to keep playing like this every game, we have to play better, because we haven't played our top effort on defense. I didn't have a good game personally.”
“We've got bad memories here with that 5-4 team two years ago, in '08,” Tigers coach Ron Muhitch added. “It still haunts me.”
Benet made every effort to be the Tigers' ghost of playoffs present, three times running out of a punt formation. The Redwings (5-5) were successful just once, however.
Meanwhile, the Tigers' offense was its usual unstoppable self. A Matt Rogers 1-yard touchdown run started the scoring three minutes into the game, and on the Tigers' next possession quarterback Reilly O'Toole found Travis Kern for a 5-yard TD pass.
“Best offense in the state,” Davis said.
“The name of the game was our offensive line and Matt Rogers,” Muhitch said.
Another Rogers run made it 21-0 early in the second quarter, and the score went to 28-0 when Kern scored on a 14-yard screen pass.
Davis followed that three plays later by picking up a Benet fumble and sprinting 27 yards untouched for another Tigers TD.
“Someone made a forced fumble,” Davis said. “I didn't see who it was. It was just lying there and I picked it up and ran it in. It was the perfect situation to captialize on. It was nice.”
With 1:08 remaining before halftime, Ryan Crowe took a middle screen 32 yards for a 42-0 WW South lead.
Benet took the second-half kickoff and marched 65 yards, a drive that ended with Pat Boyle's 1-yard touchdown plunge. The Tigers (10-0) answered in the fourth with Crowe's 7-yard TD run.
It was a tough end to the season for the East Suburban Catholic Conference team, which has faced its share of tough opponents.
“I made the comment in the second half, I said playing Wheaton South is like a long, slow death,” Benet coach Pat New said. “Whereas playing Joliet Catholic is devastating knockout punches right away.
“They've got it all. They've got great athletes, a great tradition and great coaching. That's a deadly combination. They rarely, if ever, make mistakes. I'm so impressed with the way they play. We admire this program. We really do. My goal as a coach is to raise my program to their level.”
WW South will host cross-town rival Wheaton North next week in the second round.
“It's pretty local this year, which is, uh ... I hate it,” Muhitch said. “I'd rather play someone I don't know.”