Wheaton North beaten up, but not beaten

Beaten up at times this season, facing a brutal schedule, Wheaton North is still going back to the playoffs.

The Falcons made sure of that Friday night at rainy Rexilius Field, riding a dominating defensive performance to a 35-7 win over West Chicago.

"We knew that we needed to get this win," Falcons senior defensive lineman Demarcus Covington said. "Either go hard or go home. We weren't ready to go home yet."

With more than enough playoff points, Wheaton North (5-4, 3-4 DuPage Valley Conference) returns to the playoffs for the second straight year.

The ride hasn't been easy. The Falcons faced four opponents that played in state championship games last year. They lost starting quarterback Taylor Graham to injury midway through the season. Northwestern-bound running back Mike Trumpy, who ran for 44 yards on 9 carries with a pair of touchdowns Friday, has been slowed the last three weeks by a nagging hamstring injury.

"We set a goal of six wins before the season, because there's no guarantees with five," Wheaton North coach Joe Wardynski said. "But we're in, and that's exciting."

Wheaton North's defense played Naperville North tough a week ago. It carried over to Week 9. The Falcons, led by linemen Andrew Sorgatz and Covington and linebackers John Sambo and Jack Quinn, held West Chicago to just one first down through three quarters.

"They were in the right places, technique-wise and assignment-wise they looked good," Wardynski said, "and for the most part we tackled well."

Trumpy, who didn't play against Naperville North, started Friday and scored from a yard out to give the Falcons a 7-0 lead. He called it a night after a 14-yard touchdown run with 8:55 left in the second quarter.

"It felt fine during the game," Trumpy said, "but once we got that lead I talked to the coaches and we felt it was the right decision to get out early. I didn't have a setback. Hopefully, I'll have a great week of practice and with physical therapy be ready to go next weekend."

Randal Ellison's 17-yard touchdown gave Wheaton North a 21-0 halftime lead, and quarterback Justin Swider made it 28-0 with a 20-yard quarterback keeper. Sophomore quarterback Reece Butler later scampered in from 34 yards out.

West Chicago (2-7, 1-6) got its lone score in the game's final minutes, quarterback A.J. Romanelli hooking up with Clark Hudmon for a 51-yard touchdown pass.