Nobody better than WW South

CHAMPAIGN -- All season long, Wheaton Warrenville South's football players talked about their slogan of “Better than yesterday.”

They may need to change it to “Better than ever.”

The Tigers capped an unbeaten romp with their toughest game of the season, claiming the Class 7A championship with Saturday's 28-17 win over Lake Zurich at Memorial Stadium.

The win gives the Tigers (14-0) their seventh title in 10 championship game appearances and earns them back-to-back titles for the second time in program history. Avenging a 7-3 loss to Lake Zurich (12-2) in the 2007 final, WW South matches its consecutive titles won in 1995 and 1996.

With a target on their backs from two-a-days to Champaign, the Tigers surged past every challenge. On Saturday, after winning their 26th straight game, they made their case to be considered the best team in program history.

“Best ever?” said Tigers quarterback Reilly O'Toole, who threw for 182 yards and rushed for 48. “I think so. Two in a row, 14-0. You can't really talk about being the best ever without being 14-0, and now we are.”

Saturday's final was the closest game of the season for the Tigers, who trailed in the fourth quarter for the first time this year when Lake Zurich's John Milarz scored on the first play of the quarter to put the Bears ahead 17-14.

WW South answered with a 9-play, 73-yard drive to take a 21-17 lead on a 1-yard run by Matt Rogers. A 37-yard touchdown run by Rogers, who finished with 87 yards on 13 carries, sealed the victory with 1:48 left in the game.

“I'm speechless about the way the offensive line came together and improved over the year,” Rogers said.

Lake Zurich running back Jacob Brinlee set a Class 7A rushing record by piling up 226 yards on 33 carries, 25 carries and 188 yards coming in the first half.

“I thought we could move the ball,” Brinlee said. “Our offensive line did the job and we were able to keep their offense off the field.”

The Bears rolled for an astounding 344 rushing yards against the usually stout Tigers, which helped maintain the game plan of extending drives and keeping O'Toole's potent offense off the field. They outgained WW South 365-317 in total yardage but managed only 21 passing yards.

“I'm very proud of the effort that our guys gave,” said Bears coach Bryan Stortz, whose program reached the final for the third time in five years. “They played their tails off tonight. They should be very proud of themselves.”

The 28 points were the fewest scored by the Tigers since their season-opening 28-7 win over Hinsdale Central. Lake Zurich's touted defense gave the Tigers fits for much of the game.

“The coaches really gave us a great game plan all week,” said Bears linebacker J.J. Raffelson. “They're a great team, and they've put a lot of points on the board. We just couldn't finish at the end.”

WW South's Casey Armbrust snagged an interception on Lake Zurich's first possession the first of three Bears turnovers leading to O'Toole's 44-yard scoring strike to Titus Davis on the Tigers' first play from scrimmage.

“Reilly threw it up perfect,” said Davis, who had 6 catches for 104 yards. “All I had to do was go up and get it.”

Later in the first quarter, seven straight run plays set up a 1-yard game-tying touchdown run by Bears quarterback Zach Till. Mike Leiva's 27-yard field goal put the Bears ahead 10-7, but O'Toole found Davis for a 25-yard touchdown strike just before the half to put the Tigers on top 14-10 at the break.

“Sometimes you never see the true character of a competitor until you're tested,” said Tigers coach Ron Muhitch, who won his third state title in nine years at the helm. “And tonight was that night.”