Wheaton Academy suffers first defeat

Football can seem like a complex game, whether it be the color-coded play charts the coaches are looking at or the audibles called by the quarterbacks.

But the reason Riverside-Brookfield downed host Wheaton Academy 45-21 on Saturday in their Metro Suburban West opener for both teams is simple. The Bulldogs (3-2, 1-0) executed their fundamentals better than the Warriors (4-1, 0-1).

"We got our butts kicked. (Riverside-Brookfield) came out and punched. I thought at times we punched, but we just didn't execute," said Warriors coach Brad Thornton. "We missed blocks, we missed tackles and we fumbled a couple of times."

The Bulldogs weren't about sustained drives and eating clock. When they had a chance to break into the open field, they took it and finished up in the end zone consistently during the afternoon.

Riverside-Brookfield got the ball to start the game and on the drive's third play, Matt Chapp sprinted for a 57-yard TD run just 1:20 into the game. He struck again with 7:44 remaining until halftime when he broke a couple of tackles en route to a 42-yard scoring run.

Then Wheaton Academy enjoyed its most productive part of the game. On the ensuing possession, Warriors quarterback David Thrasher lofted a pass over two Bulldogs defenders who were chasing Dillon Oleson. Oleson made the grab and hit the end zone after a 56-yard reception with 3:33 left until halftime.

The problem was Riverside-Brookfield ran the ensuing kickoff back 88 yards to get its two-touchdown advantage back.

The Warriors' passing attack though continued to be effective in the second quarter. After the kick return TD, Wheaton Academy got the ball back with 3:08 remaining on the Bulldog 43. Thrasher connected to Scottie McLean on a 21-yard catch and then on a 22-yard throw the enxt play for the Warriors' second touchdown.

Thrasher finished the afternoon 15 of 32 for 222 yards. Wheaton Academy's most productive receiver was McLean with 5 catches for 83 yards.

Riverside-Brookfield scored late in the half to lead 28-14. The Warriors fumbled the kickoff to begin the second half and the Bulldogs scored on just 4 plays to further solidify their position.

The Warriors got one final TD with 30 seconds left in the game on a 15-yard pass play from Thrasher to Marino Costello.

Going into the game Wheaton Academy had shut out three opponents and allowed just 7 points this season. The Bulldogs were winless on the road and had been crushed 82-13 in the two road games they had played. Coach Brendan Curtin wanted the Bulldogs to cure their travel woes but knew coming to Wheaton Academy wasn't going to be easy.

"Today we got into the attack mode instead of seeing what the other team decides to do and then acting upon that," he said.