Devils' defense faces tough job

The Chicago Catholic League has a certain mystique about it.

Here's a statistic that can feed such a mystique. Brother Rice football coach Steve Nye said the Crusaders have committed 10 turnovers -- 4 lost fumbles, 2 interceptions, 4 possession changes.

Yes, Nye counts a possession ended on, say, a stop on fourth-and-3, as a turnover.

That's ball-control mindset. It's Hinsdale Central's job to limit the Brother Rice Wing-T and get Red Devils quarterback John Whitelaw the ball.

In its 12-10 win over No. 5 seed Waubonsie Valley, No. 12 Hinsdale Central (7-3) got great play from the defensive front eight, including 2 interceptions by linebacker Ryan Murphy. Waubonsie's points came after a blocked punt and fumble recovery gave it short fields.

No. 4 seed Brother Rice (8-2), getting 2 touchdown runs each by Antoine Hall and Jeremy Rhodes in its 41-3 win over No. 13 seed Plainfield Central, offers a two-pronged problem only Loyola and Mt. Carmel have withstood.

Not only do the Crusaders play a shell game -- all-around talent Rhodes, Hall, Dwayne Dade, Tom Grant and fullback Jack Philbin all have run for at least 258 yards -- they do so with the power of a York or Glenbard West, both of which beat the Red Devils.

Of those losses Hinsdale Central coach Mike DiMatteo said: "At certain points you can't panic in certain situations, you've got to keep your wits about you.

"We didn't do that with York or Glenbard West. Hopefully we can do that with Brother Rice and put those lessons to good use."

Nye believed too much time has passed for any retribution over Brother Rice's defeat of Hinsdale Central in the 2003 Class 8A quarterfinals.

He'll pool his defensive resources to contain Whitelaw, whose 38-yard touchdown run beat Waubonsie.

Mystique or not, Whitelaw and his pals will be ready.

"I expect them to come out here and look to beat up on the suburban guys," DiMatteo said. "We'll be standing out on the driveway waiting for them."