To list of Warriors first, add first win

Wheaton Academy has played varsity football before.

Yet after an 18-year hiatus Friday seemed like a night of firsts, from the school's group of first cheerleaders in seven years to Andy Morozink's tackle off the opening kick.

First interception, by Hayden Goeckel.

First sack, by Louis Bianco.

First touchdown, on Chris Reddick's 24-yard option run.

First touchdown pass, Brian Pell's 89-yarder off a fade to Anthony Ritchie.

Mainly it was the Warriors' first varsity football win since the program lapsed in 1990. Wheaton Academy beat Kirkland-Hiawatha 32-6, before an estimated 600 people at West Chicago High School.

"Starting off the season like this, in the two years of our program (after a junior varsity schedule in 2006) this is our biggest win. We hope to keep building on that as the year goes," said Warriors coach Ben Wilson.

"Really good, really good," said Reddick, a junior transfer from Naperville Central who gained 95 yards on 13 carries.

"To finally be on varsity, playing some varsity teams under Friday night lights."

Once they got turned on so did Wheaton Academy, which gained 336 yards of offense and held Kirkland-Hiawatha to 181.

Goeckel's interception off Tyler Friedl's tip at the line on Hiawatha's second possession, led directly to Reddick's touchdown run. Hiawatha tackled the fullback dive rather than the pitch.

On the Warriors' next possession Ritchie's 55-yard catch and run set up a Pell sneak behind center Dan Smith. Sam Cote's kick gave the Warriors a 14-0 lead at 10:10 of the second quarter.

The Hiawatha Hawks immediately countered on Floyd Webster's 88-yard kickoff return to make it 14-6.

Late in the first half Hiawatha reached Wheaton Academy's 1-yard line then was stuffed with 13 seconds before halftime. Time expired before quarterback Jason Keneway could spike the ball.

Hawks coach Sean Donnelly said: "I saw a little gap in between the center and the guard and that's what I told our quarterback to do, a sneak. And it just didn't work out for us."

After a scoreless third quarter Wheaton Academy exploded, aided by Brett Boyer and Jake Jones interceptions.

Bianco scored on a 3-yard run and Pell capped the scoring on a 19-yard run.

In between Pell hit Ritchie on a 15-yard pass that the 6-foot-4 sophomore broke for an 89-yard touchdown.

"We've been friends for awhile," said Ritchie, who caught 4 passes for 151 yards, "and we always after school go on the soccer field and throw routes."