A new No. 1; WWS takes down Hinsdale Central
For nine months Wheaton Warrenville South's football team felt like it had something to prove.
Friday night the Tigers proved it against the best.
In a showdown between the top-ranked teams in Chicagoland, WW South held off No. 1 Hinsdale Central 34-26 following a flurry of fourth-quarter action.
The host Tigers led 27-20 until Hinsdale Central quarterback John Whitelaw scored on an 11-yard run with 2:10 left. The extra point was blocked by the Tigers' Nick Cascela, however, preserving a 27-26 margin.
Julian Banuelos scored on a 49-yard run on the next play from scrimmage, boosting WW South's lead to 34-26 after a Nick Immekus extra point. Whitelaw and the Red Devils worked the ball to WW South's 21-yard line in the final minute but eventually turned the ball over on downs to preserve a thrilling win for the Tigers.
"Our team needed this," said Tigers senior Mack Tracey, who was part of last year's team that dropped its last two games, including an upset first-round playoff loss to Downers North. "We had a two-game losing streak and just that bad taste in our mouth."
The late defensive plays flew in contrast to the barrage of offense on both sides - 761 combined yards.
Not surprisingly, Whitleaw's effort was amazing as he completed 19-of-31 passing for 267 yards and 3 touchdowns while rushing for 129 yards and another score.
A bit of a surprise came from the home team as junior quarterback Reilly O'Toole had a big breakout performance. He completed 13 of 21 passes for 209 yards and 3 touchdowns.
"This was the best game I've ever been a part of," said O'Toole, who split time with Tracey early in the game before taking the reins late. "It gives us a little bit of confidence going into next week."
The Tigers trailed 7-0 midway through the first quarter after Whitelaw threw the first of his 3 touchdowns to Alex Kirk, who had 12 catches for 177 yards.
O'Toole responded with his 3 touchdown passes, the first to Kyle Snow and two to Dan Hohenstein, as the Tigers built a 21-7 lead.
WW South broke out to a 27-14 lead on Tracey's 2-yard run, but Whitelaw responded with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Kirk late in the third quarter.
That set the stage for the thrilling final minutes.
"We went down to the wire, but unfortunately we couldn't pull it off," Kirk said. "When Week 1 is over, it's over, and we start off with Week 2."
After beating last year's Class 8A runner-up, WW South now prepares for another major challenge against defending 8A champion Maine South.
"We knew this was going to be a tough start for us," said Tigers coach Ron Muhitch. "But getting this first one is big for our program."