Wheaton advances to quarters
The Wheaton College football team played well in all facets of the game to earn a 59-28 victory at Wabash College on Saturday afternoon in a second-round game of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Wheaton (10-2) advanced to the quarterfinals, where the Thunder will face Franklin College at noon next Saturday in Franklin, Ind. Franklin (11-1) advanced with a 38-28 win at North Central.
"We played well today," coach Mike Swider said. "Ultimately you win games up front, and our defensive line did a great job putting pressure on Wabash. Our defense did what we wanted them to do today. We stopped the run and pressured the quarterback.
"Plus, we were able to run the football, which put their defense on its heels and our passing game also did well today," he said. "It is exciting for our players and the entire program to be advancing into the quarterfinals."
Wabash scored the first touchdown of the game, however, Wheaton countered on its next drive - an 8-play drive of 58 yards that culminated with a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Sean Norris (Wheaton North) to senior Jeff Lake to tie the game at 7-7 with 7:02 left in the first quarter. Following a Wabash three-and-out on the Little Giants' next offensive drive, the ensuing Wabash punt was a line drive to Thunder All-American Pete Ittersagen (Wheaton North) who returned it 70 yards for a touchdown.
Those two scores sparked 28 unanswered points by the Thunder as Wheaton took a 28-14 lead at halftime. Wheaton outscored the hosts 17-0 in the third quarter to secure the victory.
Wheaton tallied 504 yards of offense, with 300 passing yards and 204 yards on the ground. The Thunder defense held the potent Wabash offense to a season-low 266 total yards as the Little Giants passed for 230 yards, with 36 rushing yards. The Wheaton defensive front kept pressure on the Wabash offense throughout a game that saw the Thunder tally three tackles for lost yardage and six quarterback hurries.
Norris was 21-for-31 passing, with 277 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown. Senior receiver Alex Pokorny (Geneva) caught 10 passes for 152 yards, with 2 touchdown catches. Sophomore running back Rocky Gingg ran for 111 yards, on 19 carries, with 1 touchdown.
Defensive backs Tyler Langs and Brian Hollett led the Thunder with 8 total tackles each. Senior defensive end Ben Kuenzle made 6 tackles, including a sack of 8 yards and quarterback hurry. Senior linebacker Jon Ryan tallied a sack and senior safety Shane Woodward recorded an interception.