WW South does it all vs. W. Aurora
Wheaton Warrenville South managed to do just about all that it wanted to on offense Friday night, as it rolled to a 42-6 win at West Aurora, capping a perfect, 9-0 regular season.
The Tigers racked up 241 yards on the ground and 226 through the air in a balanced attack that the Blackhawks (4-5) simply couldn't stop.
Quarterback Reilly O'Toole threw 3 touchdown passes to 3 different receivers, and added 78 yards on the ground, while Matt Rogers rushed for 112 yards and scored 3 touchdowns of his own.
"This team plays extremely well in all three phases of the game," Wheaton Warrenville South coach Ron Muhitch said. "With Reilly at the controls of the offense, we're a multiple threat team."
But despite the Tigers' dominance, West Aurora had opportunities, beginning with their first possession, as Matt Souvannasing took the opening kickoff 59 yards to the Wheaton Warrenville South 21.
The Tigers responded with a tough defensive stand, and after West Aurora failed to convert on fourth and 3, O'Toole went to work. Moving his team through the air and on the ground, the senior led his squad on an 8-play, 86-yard drive, capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass to Peter Benassi.
"Our balance is hard to stop," O'Toole said. "We had some guys step up today like Peter Benassi, and if we keep this rolling we'll have some teams on their heels."
After West Aurora went four and out, O'Toole again drove his team down field, connecting with Travis Kern and Rogers to move the ball into Blackhawk territory.
O'Toole found Titus Davis at the West Aurora 37 on a third and 10, and the receiver sprinted to the West Aurora 21. Two plays later, O'Toole tossed an easy touchdown pass to Dan Vitale.
But just as the Tigers appeared to be in control of the game, the Blackhawks answered, led again by the special teams, as Marcus Waller found a seam and ran the kickoff back to the Wheaton Warrenville South 47.
"We've got some great kids on special teams and we've had some success with that all year," West Aurora coach Buck Drach said.
Two plays later, Tyson Lassiter burst through a huge hole in the middle of the line and dashed 40 yards for the touchdown.
O'Toole needed less than two minutes to answer, and in the closing seconds of the first quarter Rogers powered into the end zone from 1 yard out to stake the Tigers to a 21-6 lead.
"Coming into the game, we wanted to make a statement with our running game," Rogers said.
As the second quarter began, the Blackhawks appeared to be gaining some momentum, and moved the ball down the field, thanks in large part to a 33-yard run by Waller off a reverse. When Lassiter carried to the 1-yard line, West Aurora seemed poised to put another 6 on the board.
It didn't work out that way. On the next play, Willam Davis exploded through the line, and turned a handoff into a fumble, which he then recovered.
"That was a great coaching call, they called a blitz and the ball was right there," Davis said.
The Tigers scored two more times in the first half, on a 20-yard run by Rogers, and a 36-yard pass from O'Toole to Titus Davis.
Meanwhile, across the way in the West Aurora fieldhouse, Drach, who has not made a decision on his future, talked about his 28-year career amid the tears, hugs, and laughter of his players.
"Every season is different, each kid is unique, and these kids at West have been great," Drach said.
Waubonsie Valley 20, South Elgin 10: Two potent offenses squared off, but it was the defenses that stepped up as Waubonsie Valley and South Elgin squared off for a share of the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division football title.
And it was the Warriors' special teams that struck the final blow to the Storm as Waubonsie Valley topped the host Storm 20-10 on Friday night at Millennium Field in Streamwood.
The Warriors (7-2, 5-1) held just a slim 13-3 advantage heading into the fourth quarter, but Jakobi Johnson gave his team all the breathing room needed as he returned a punt 74 yards with 11:39 left to play.
The Storm (6-3, 4-2) got some life on the ensuing kickoff as Brad Birchfield set up a short 38-yard drive with a nice return. Quarterback John Menken capped that drive with a 1-yard run to pull to 20-10 with 9:59 remaining.
However, the South Elgin offense had struggles throughout the night sustaining drives and was held to just 182 total yards.
"I thought our defense really had a nice game, and we really stopped ourselves on offense," said South Elgin coach Dale Schabert. "The kids battled all night, and it's a tough loss."
The Storm will be limping into the playoffs after losing three of their last four after a 5-0 start.
"There's been a lot of pressure on them after that quick start," Schabert said. "But they're battling, and they'll be ready next week."
Seth Hancock