Wheaton Warrenville South can breathe again
Peter Jarrett had seen this picture before, yet couldn't sit still.
A finish eerily similar to Wheaton Warrenville South's triple-overtime win over Naperville North in the 2007 regular-season finale. Winner and loser to be decided on the outcome of a 2-point conversion.
"I didn't know whether to watch," said the WW South senior running back, "or look away."
Jarrett can exhale. This time the Tigers defense denied Hinsdale Central and quarterback John Whitelaw, giving WW South a 28-27 win in a white-knuckler of an opener at Dickinson Field in Hinsdale.
"What a game to be a part of," Tigers coach Ron Muhitch said.
WW South scored first in overtime on Jarrett's 4-yard touchdown run up the gut. Whitelaw answered with a 10-yard scoring strike to David Banasiak, and Hinsdale Central immediately signaled for the 2-point call and the win.
"That decision was made the moment overtime started," Red Devils coach Mike DiMatteo said. "On our home turf we're not going to go for one and play for the tie - especially against Wheaton Warrenville South."
After a WW South timeout, Whitelaw took the ball from shotgun and rolled right. Under pressure from Tigers linebacker Michael Heaton, Whitelaw's throw didn't reach the goal line.
"We played zone there instead of man," Muhitch said, "and caused a little confusion, made (Whitelaw) hold onto the ball a little longer. Mike made a great play to keep him from running on that run-pass option."
It was an improbable turn of events - even for a team that hasn't lost a regular season game since 2004. Whitelaw shredded WW South's defense for 183 total yards in the first half. His second touchdown run, a 9-yarder with 7:57 left in the second quarter, gave the Red Devils a 21-0 lead. Joe Furco's 43-yard touchdown pass to Greg McAndrew made it 21-7 at the half, and Furco's 2-yard touchdown run sandwiched between two short Hinsdale Central possessions pulled WW South within a score.
The Tigers still trailed with 1:49 left in the game, getting the ball at their 30 with one last chance. Furco passes to Jarrett and Daniel Hohenstein got WW South to the Hinsdale 9-yard line. On second-and-goal Furco rolled to the right sideline and before stepping out of bounds doubled back to find Jarrett on the sideline, who scampered into the end zone for the tie.
"That was just a botched play," Jarrett admitted. "I was supposed to block the edge. I turned around, caught it and ran with it."
"There's a reason why they win," DiMatteo said, "and that is that they never give up. We didn't either. It was a tale of two halves. The reality is we didn't execute and they did."