Decker, Wheaton Academy roar to victory

If it might not work, change it.

Wheaton Academy quarterback Tommy Decker did that more often than not Friday night.

The Warriors' senior called numerous audibles that led to a staggering passing attack and a 51-20 rout of visiting Aurora Central Catholic in a Suburban Christian Conference Gold Division clash.

Decker threw for 4 touchdowns and 237 yards, while tailback Kai Libby was devastating on the ground with 10 carries for 154 yards and 3 touchdowns in the rout.

"I have to give credit to my offensive line because they gave me a lot of time," Decker said. "The receivers got open and they thought about the audibles and picked them up and made great plays."

Despite the offensive heroics, Wheaton Academy (2-0, 4-0) needed its defense to step up after a tight first half in which the Warriors led only 27-20. They held the Chargers to only 81 total yards in the second half, with most of those coming after the game was well in hand.

"Tommy (Decker) was audible-ing a lot tonight because we knew they were going to bring pressure, so we knew that someone was going to be open," Wheaton Academy coach Ben Wilson said. "We just kept checking it with audibles and Tommy did a great job of running the show out there, and Kai Libby just had some great runs."

Wilson said he was most proud of the defensive shutout in the second half.

"It was fun watching our kids respond to our halftime adjustments," Wilson said.

Aurora Central (1-1, 2-2) must have felt it was going to be in for a long night when Decker's first pass of the night was deflected into the arms of Warrior offensive lineman Nate Jones, who rumbled 35 yards on the play.

But the serious damage was to come later, after an Aurora Central fumble gave the Warriors a first down on the ACC 24-yard line and Decker hit Tyler Bosse with a 13-yard touchdown pass. Another Charger fumble led to a 24-yard touchdown reception by James Johnson about a minute later.

"We didn't protect the football very well, and we were down 14-0 at the get-go," Aurora Central coach Brian Casey said. "It is what it is, and we'll learn from it and go from there."

The Chargers fought back when Marcus Jefferson (13 carries, 103 yards) raced around end for a 65-yard touchdown, but Decker countered quickly with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Johnson and a 21-7 lead after one quarter.

When Zach Tobin pulled in a screen pass for a 13-yard score to open the second quarter for ACC, the Warriors answered by capping a 60-yard drive with Libby's first touchdown from 4 yards out.

"Kai (Libby) is just unbelievable and he is our best athlete by far," Decker said of his running back. "He's not the biggest guy, but he will make you miss, and he is so tough to stop and it just opens up our passing game."

Kent Brauweiler's diving 15-yard catch in the end zone brought ACC to within 27-20, but that would be the Chargers' final score of the night.

Wheaton Academy dominated the second half with 25- and 43-yard scoring runs by Libby, a 33-yard touchdown pass from Decker to Bosse, and a 35-yard field goal by Sam Cote.

"You just have to keep your feet going and keep your knees pumping, and it is just surprising what you can do," Libby said of his big night.

Casey had hoped his Chargers could slow down the high-flying Warriors, but they left realizing the reality of the challenge ahead.

"People wanted to proclaim us the next great thing after two wins, but we're not there yet," Casey said. "Maybe a loss like this is good, but I will tell you this team is not done and there is a lot more fight left in these guys."