Wheaton North rolls to homecoming victory
Senior running back Dom Garza found a new way Friday to remain among the scoring leaders for Wheaton North’s high-powered offense.
Garza had two more touchdowns, including his first varsity TD reception, as the Falcons scored on all seven first-half possessions en route to a 52-7 homecoming victory over Glenbard East.
Garza already had scored on a 4-yard run for the Falcons (5-1, 3-1 DuPage Valley Conference) when he dove and rolled in the end zone to secure a 2-yard TD pass from quarterback Clayton Thorson in the second quarter on fourth-and-goal.
“I thought I didn’t catch it in the end zone, but I got it there, thank God,” said Garza, who had caught a 2-point pass earlier this season.
“That was great. Our O-line executed really well. That’s what helped me the most. And our wide receivers had a great game, too. We just all in all had a great game.”
As usual, Thorson and the Falcons damaged via the air and ground. Thorson passed for 3 TDs, giving him 14 on the season, and ran for two more of 15 and 4 yards to equal Garza for a team-best 6 TDs.
Jack Kirschbaum and JP Forcucci also had TD receptions. Forcucci’s 60-yard score 49.3 seconds before halftime gave the Falcons a 45-0 lead with 308 yards of offense and a second-half running clock.
With the Falcons’ starters sitting out the second half, Thorson finished 11-of-22 passing for 194 yards, 97 to Forcucci, and Garza rushed for 55 yards. Forcucci first took over at quarterback and handed off to Brandon Torres for a fourth-quarter 2-yard TD run.
“We have a really good quarterback who throws the ball very well and some good receivers that can make some plays for us,” Wheaton North coach Joe Wardynski said. “If we can run the ball effectively, we feel like we can be a tough team to stop.”
The defense also shined. On the Rams’ first possession, the Falcons held three times from second-and-1 at the 50. Ben Moore and John Coolidge had first-half interceptions with Coolidge’s coming after the Rams reached the 19.
Coolidge, now with 4 interceptions, also had a sack for an 11-yard loss.
“Everyone did a great job. It was great to keep with a shutout in the first half,” Coolidge said. “It’s great for the other guys to get in there (in the second half). We love to support them on the sidelines and watch them do great things.”
Glenbard East (2-4, 1-3), shut out its last two games, scored in the third quarter on a 7-yard pass from Blake Pusateri to Joe Difino. Dominic Wilberton’s 75 rushing yards and 19-yard catch accounted for most of the offense.
“When you don’t get stops, and you don’t put the ball in the end zone, you get scores like this, especially in a spread offense,” Glenbard East coach John Walters said. “Right now, we need to circle the wagons and play better football. We have four games left, and I think our guys are ready to fight.”