Wheaton Academy's Cinderella season comes to end
Win or lose, in its three years as a rejuvenated varsity program Wheaton Academy could score on anybody.
Until Saturday. Host Sycamore blanked the Warriors 42-0, ending Wheaton Academy's inaugural postseason run in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs.
"It's obviously been huge just to get to this point. It's something obviously no Wheaton Academy team's ever done," said receiver-safety Anthony Ritchie, who lined up one last time with fellow three-year starters Louis Bianco and Brian Pell and seniors such as Jon Fink, Clay Berg, Christian Park, Nate Forgille and C.J. Stecca.
"I'm obviously disappointed in today," Ritchie said, "but it can't last forever, even if we go to the state championships."
Following their jubilant first-round upset of No. 1 seed Hillcrest, the No. 16 Warriors (6-5) failed to score for the first time since the program retooled in 2006 on the junior varsity level.
Sycamore's 3-5 defense, averaging 236 pounds on the line and headed by linebacker Harlan Johnson, sacked Pell six times. That countered Kai Libby's 30 yards rushing, all by halftime, for net zero on the ground. Pell completed 17 of 38 passes for 187 yards, but the offense stalled in two trips inside the red zone.
No. 9 seed Sycamore (8-3), which will host Montini in next week's 5A quarterfinals, led 28-0 at halftime and scored on its first five possessions. Backup quarterback Ryan Bartels scored on a 2-yard run to force a running clock at 10:22 of the fourth quarter.
Following the likes of tackles Zach Fraedrich and D.J. Yunek, 285 and 270 pounds respectively, Sycamore fullback Joe Dougherty ran 16 times for 114 yards with touchdowns of 3 and 2 yards, adding a 25-yard touchdown catch. Tailback Marckie Hayes opened the scoring on an 18-yard run and finished with 94 yards on 12 carries, then rested a hip pointer all of the second half.
"We thought we were pretty good up front," said Sycamore coach Joe Ryan, "and we thought that was probably an advantage for us going in. It certainly played out that way."
Wheaton Academy coach Ben Wilson couldn't dispute that.
"What we learned today is we've got to get more physical," Wilson said, then praised his boys.
"We've got a lot of talent coming back," he said, "and we're just thrilled for the seniors, the great four years they've had and the springboard they've given our program. Hopefully, we can keep it rolling."
Leaving as Wheaton Academy's all-time leading passer? That's how Pell rolled.
"We did all we could," he said. "We left it on the field, and sometimes you're just not better than the other team. But we left a legacy, and that's what's important."