O'Toole picks a good night to get angry
On his 167th pass this season, Wheaton Warrenville South quarterback Reilly O'Toole finally threw his first interception.
He spent the next three-and-a-half quarters more than making up for it Friday in Chicago.
"Anytime you throw an interception you're going to be pretty angry," O'Toole said following the Tigers' 23-14 win over St. Rita. "Especially when it's a bad throw. That was all on me."
The most humble athlete you'd ever hope to meet, O'Toole would be the first to tell you his Class 7A quarterfinal performance at rugged St. Rita was not his finest.
It may have been his guttiest, however.
"This was a big one ... he needed a game like this," Tigers coach Ron Muhitch said of O'Toole, who's completed 121 of 195 passes for 1,793 yards and 23 touchdowns. "He had to step up and make some throws under pressure. He's a competitor. I've always liked his demeanor."
Not since the Week 2 loss at Maine South had O'Toole faced pressure like this. And, trust me, pads or not, you don't want 6-foot-3, 310-pound St. Rita defensive lineman Bruce Gaston Jr. chasing you for four quarters.
O'Toole, sacked three times, certainly took his licks, and he was just over 50 percent passing while completing 19 of 35 attempts.
The key, though, was getting back up. Again and again the 6-foot-5 junior took his shots right back at the Mustangs.
O'Toole spread the ball to seven receivers while throwing for 228 yards, including 7 catches for 88 yards by Greg McAndrew and a clutch 3-yard touchdown pass to Mack Tracey that clinched the outcome late in the fourth quarter.
"He kept his head," McAndrew said. "Reilly's such a calm guy and such a good quarterback. He makes it easy out there for us."
O'Toole's burgeoning combination of confidence, maturity and moxie was on full display Friday night.
Watching him play, it's hard to believe he's still just a junior. Looking at his size, talent and projectability, it's all too easy to imagine O'Toole's potential in the next year and beyond.
Perhaps that's the best thing about O'Toole, though. He's not looking any further than the game right in front of him.
This season - this Tigers team - is the one he wants to lead to the program's sixth state title.
"Our offense does a great job coming together, just staying focused," he said. "We knew we had to play our best to beat them. We could have played better, but we made some big plays in some key situations."
kschmit@dailyherald.com