WW South win not as easy as it looks
It was O'Toole Time for Wheaton Warrenville South and its senior quarterback in Hinsdale.
But before Tigers gunslinger Reilly O'Toole chiseled away at the Red Devils defense for 243 yards and 3 touchdowns, his Tigers had to solve the Hinsdale Central defense.
The Tigers spoiled Hinsdale Central's home opener with a 28-7 nonconference victory Friday night. The defending 7A champions rolled up 278 total yards, but they didn't come easy.
"When you run up and score on the first play, you think life is going to be easy," said Tigers coach Ron Muhitch. "But they battled us and we had several chances we couldn't take advantage of. Give a lot of credit to their linemen who played both ways. Their linebackers put a lot of pressure on us and did some good things."
O'Toole hit senior receiver Titus Davis with a 44-yard strike to open the first Tigers drive of the game. The Red Devils defense bit on a play-action fake, leaving Davis alone for an easy pitch and catch. The Tigers' quick start was misleading.
"We didn't have a whole lot of offense except for that first play," Muhitch said. "They played us tough and they put a lot of pressure on Reilly."
Hinsdale Central (0-1) fought back with a 9-play, 33-yard drive late in the second quarter. The Red Devils converted 2 fourth-down attempts and tied the game with an 11-yard pass from senior Alex Hodakowski to junior back Nicholas Sellinger. It would be the only score for the Red Devils, who struggled to capitalize on other chances. But their effort pleased coach Mike DiMatteo.
"We showed a lot of really good things," DiMatteo said. "Nobody wants to lose, for crying out loud. But these guys fought their cans off. And I have no issues. We played the best team in the state, by far."
Wheaton Warrenville South (1-0) marched down the field in the second half, running five minutes off the clock and going 54 yards in 10 plays. Senior running back Matt Rogers punched in a 3-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers a 14-7 lead with 5:14 left in the third quarter.
"I thought we did a great job of bouncing back in the second half," O'Toole said. "We wanted to get the playmakers involved."
The Tigers answered again in the fourth quarter on a nifty play by senior receiver Travis Kern. After hauling in a short O'Toole pass, Kern slithered through 2 Red Devils defenders for a 40-yard scamper into the end zone. O'Toole and Davis hooked up again for a 78-yard touchdown pass later in the quarter to put the game away. Next week's nationally televised game on ESPNU against Maine South became the topic of discussion once the clocks hit triple zeroes.
"It's a thrill of a lifetime for the kids and the coaches," Muhitch said. "We're thankful ESPN chose Illinois, and we're looking forward to it."