Tigers know they're targeted, but who do you hit first?

Every Sunday night Wheaton Warrenville South coach Ron Muhitch meets for five hours with his assistants to discuss the game gone by and the game to come.

The first thing they talk about is personnel.

You found out why in Friday's 32-20 DuPage Valley Conference victory over Wheaton North, the Tigers' 21st straight win.

As the game played out you could imagine the conversation as the coaches talked about running back Peter Jarrett, a junior whose start to the season was delayed by a hamstring injury. An ankle tweak suffered by Francis Adarkwa pushed Jarrett into the featured role on Friday, although Adarkwa still carried the ball 9 times.

Jarrett rushed for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns, sending a clear signal of another Tigers player stepping up.

Then there's 6-foot-6 Kendrick Perry, who emerged as a go-to receiver in the Tigers' Week 5 win over Naperville Central. He had 4 catches against Wheaton North -- another playmaker in the improving offense.

Quarterback Mike Piatkowski, Adarkwa, receiver Chris Schweighardt, fullback Mike Olp and an offensive line led by tackles Will Matte and Nate Williams have been known quantities all season.

With so many other players coming alive on both sides of the ball, it makes you wonder what else WW South has in its bag of tricks as it vies for another DVC and state title.

"What it feeds is growth in kids and growth in numbers," Muhitch said. "Kids come out and see they can find a role on the team. As best we can, we try to find that role."

The process includes finding new plays.

Assistant Joe Kish took a Statue of Liberty play from Boise State's Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma. The staff broke it down from diagrams in Sports Illustrated and video posted on You Tube. Sure enough, the Tigers unveiled it on a 3-yard touchdown run by Adarkwa.

The fade pass -- a staple in the offense for years, but rarely used this season -- was brought out twice against Wheaton North. It worked to perfection on a pair of touchdown tosses from Piatkowski to Schweighardt.

"Coach wants everybody on the team to be ready so at any given moment somebody on the team can step up," Perry said. "Once they're given the opportunity, they make plays."

Again and again, it seems.

As the Tigers continue their push toward perfection, they're not holding back.

"We've got that target on our back," Jarrett said. "We've been playing well, but we need to keep stepping up."