Wheaton North hoped for better in return to playoffs

This wasn't the return to the football playoffs Wheaton North had in mind. Not at all.

The Falcons, back in the postseason for the first time since 2003, were overwhelmed by Morgan Park 41-0 on Friday at Gately Stadium in Chicago.

The Mustangs (9-1), who will play the winner of today's Glenbard West-Reavis game in the second round of the Class 7A playoffs, scored on their first six drives in rolling up a 41-0 halftime lead.

"We just ran into a buzz-saw," Wheaton North coach Matt Foster said. "Whatever could go wrong did."

Morgan Park running back Dominique Bell set the tone by ripping off a 58-yard run on the Mustangs' first play from scrimmage and scored from a yard out three plays later to make it 7-0.

Bell, who ran for 155 yards on 11 carries in playing just the first half, skipped in a score from 3 yards out to give Morgan Park a 14-0 lead and later added a 48-yard touchdown run.

Already leading 14-0, Morgan Park blocked a Wheaton North punt, and a play later sophomore receiver Daron Brown caught a 27-yard touchdown pass, juking two Falcons' defenders to the end zone. Brown capped off the first half with a dazzling one-handed grab that he turned upfield for a 49-yard touchdown pass from Victor Scott to make it 41-0.

"Victor and I throw 100 balls a day," Brown said. "We practice hard. You practice how you play."

"Their kids are extremely well-coached, and they have a lot of talent," Foster said. "It wasn't about anything we were or weren't doing. It was all Morgan Park tonight."

While Morgan Park had it all going offensively, Wheaton North (5-5) and junior running back Mike Trumpy never could get untracked.

Trumpy, who ran for 1,638 yards during the regular season, managed just 26 yards on 16 carries. Morgan Park, led by 6-foot-5, 250-pound junior defensive end Craig Drummond, was the first team to hold Trumpy under 100 yards rushing all year.

"We knew they had a heck of a doggone good running back," Morgan Park coach Lexie Spurlock said, "and that he liked to bounce the runs outside. We did what we could to keep him from bouncing it outside."

Foster does look forward to another run to the playoffs next year with Trumpy and defensive back Jack DeAno among the juniors returning.

"We had a lot of juniors and sophomores out there," Foster said, "and they could have laid down and they didn't. We didn't play a great second half, but we played OK."