WW South hands Glenbard East first loss
Defensive coordinators are not going to enjoy watching much Wheaton Warrenville South film this season. The Tigers just have too many ways to hurt you, as evidenced by what they did to Glenbard East on Friday night in Lombard.
The Rams, who entered the game 2-0, played a great first half and allowed Wheaton Warrenville South (2-1) just one touchdown. But the visitors did add 46- and 29-yard Nick Immekus field goals for a 13-6 lead at the half before exploding for 4 second-half touchdowns for a 41-6 DuPage Valley Conference victory.
The visitors' two-QB attack of Reilly O'Toole and Mack Tracey was unstoppable in the second half, while Rams quarterback Jack Merrithey left with a injury that only made matters worse for Glenbard East.
"You have to give credit to Glenbard East, they came out hard on defense," said Tracey, who had a hand in 3 TDs in the second half, 1 each passing, running and catching. "We just came out hard in the second half and coach let me mix it up a lot."
It also doesn't hurt to have the strong leg of Immekus around should drives stall short of the end zone.
"Nick is a great weapon for us," Tigers coach Ron Muhitch said after his team rebounded from last week's loss to top-ranked Maine South. "If we can get it inside the 30, it makes it a good option for us to kick a field goal."
Wheaton Warrenville South struck first on Friday when Julian Banuelos scored on a 14-yard run with 3:37 left in the first quarter. But the Rams got within 7-6 when Merrithey hit a wide-open Lee Skinner on a 53-yard scoring pass on the first play of the second quarter.
But the Tigers next possession resulted in Immekus' long boot for a 10-6 lead and then Shane Dierking's interception in the final minute of the half led to another field goal and a 13-6 score at the break. When WW South followed that up by opening the second half with a 4-play, 72-yard scoring drive caped off by a 22-yard run by Tracey, the Tigers took control of the contest.
"We did some good things, but you've got to play a whole ballgame," Rams coach Dennis Lueck said. "They came down and drove it hard on us to start the second half and they punched it in. That kinda took the wind out of our sails. We had to come out and stop them there and we didn't."
O'Toole finished the night 13 of 19 for 176 yards and 2 TDs, including a 6-yarder to Tracey, while Tracey added a 33-yard TD pass to Travis Kern to go with the 2 touchdowns he scored himself.