DuPage County and Fox Valley football roundup
Wheaton Academy 28, St. Charles East 17: Quarterback Nathan Downey completed 14 of 22 passes for 232 yards and 4 touchdowns to lift Wheaton Academy (1-1) to a 28-17 nonconference win over St. Charles East (0-2) in West Chicago.
The Saints grabbed a 7-0 lead on a 14-yard touchdown pass from JT Padron to Peter VanLue before the Warriors answered with an 83-yard TD toss from Downey to Zach Moravec.
Trailing 10-7, the Warriors relied on another big play — a 43-yard touchdown pass from Downey to Moravec to take a 14-10 halftime lead.
After St. Charles East scored on its first second-half possession, a 21-yard touchdown pass from Padron to junior receiver Sheko Gjokaj, the Warriors took the lead for good on Downey’s 8-yard TD pass to Moravec.
Early in the fourth quarter, Wheaton Academy added some insurance on Downey’s 29-yard TD pass to senior receiver Jake Weston. Moravec paced the Warriors with 133 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns, while tailback Brandon Kiebles ran for 79 yards.
On the defensive side, the Warriors limited the Saints to 42 yards rushing, paced by senior Jeremiah Johanik (11 tackles). Diyonnes King added a pair of sacks and 3 tackles for loss.
Montini 21, Hillcrest 0:
The Broncos (2-0) used a swarming defense to pitch their second consecutive shutout of the season, blanking Hillcrest, 21-0.
Senior defensive back Vince Irion led the way with a team-high 13 tackles, including 2 for loss and a sack. Irion added a 56-yard interception return for a touchdown to ice the game in the fourth quarter.
Nick Irion (11 tackles), Sean Hubeny (6 tackles), Isaac Alexander (5 tackles, forced fumble) and Max Bell (3 tackles, interception) sparked the Broncos’ secondary, while defensive tackle JC Hayes recorded 9 tackles, including 3 for loss. Linebacker Jaxon Lane added 10 tackles and a forced fumble, while Jeremiah Peterson had 8 tackles.
JoJo James (9 carries, 112 yards, 1 TD) paced the rushing attack, while quarterback Izzy Abrams completed 4 of 8 passes and 70 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown toss to Isiah Mason (4 catches, 81 yards).
Gaetano Carbonara completed 3 passes for 26 yards.
Glenbard South 41, East Aurora 7:
Senior tailback Vontae Clark scored 4 touchdowns covering 11, 9, 19 and 22 yards, during the Raiders’ 41-7 victory over East Aurora.
Jonny Baldauf opened the scoring with a 45-yard punt return for a touchdown, as the Raiders built a 20-0 first-quarter lead.
Freshman tailback Elijah Donahue scored a pair of touchdowns — on a 44-yard kick return and a 39-yard run, while quarterback Tommy Bauman tossed a 59-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Baldauf late in the first half.
York 35, Plainfield North 13:
The Dukes improved to 2-0 with their 35-13 nonconference victory over host Plainfield North (0-1).
Quarterback Bruno Massel connected with Finton Helm on a 3-yard touchdown pass to give York a 7-0 lead before Massel’s long pass to PJ McLafferty set up his 10-yard touchdown pass to 6-foot-7 tight end Hunter Stepanich made it 14-0.
After the Tigers closed within 14-7, the Dukes tallied 21 unanswered points, highlighted by Henry Duda’s 80-yard touchdown run. Duda’s 11-yard TD run capped the scoring.
Fenton 43, Streamwood 8:
Quarterback Nathan Stewart passed for 239 yards during Fenton’s 43-8 Upstate Eight crossover victory over Streamwood (0-2) at Millennium Field. Stewart’s 23-yard touchdown toss to Jack Tinajero helped seal the decision for the Bison, who added 155 rushing yards.
Metea Valley 31, Plainfield Central 6:
Metea Valley (1-1) snapped a 14-game losing streak with its 31-6 nonconference triumph over Plainfield Central in Aurora.
Quarterback Jake MacLeod threw 4 touchdown passes to 3 different receivers — Swaroop Bhaskar, Dominic Smith, and a pair to Dylan Liner for the Mustangs’ first win since 2022.
Jace Mohead’s interception set up Cameron Leys’ 36-yard field goal, while Liner added another interception.
West Chicago 57, Joliet Central 28:
Senior tailback Robert Lee rushed for 293 yards and 3 touchdowns on 21 carries, while junior quarterback Carter Naranjo added 173 yards on 11 carries and 4 rushing touchdowns during the Wildcats’ 57-28 nonconference victory over Joliet Central.
West Chicago (2-0) established a single-game school record with 622 rushing yards.
The Wildcats open Upstate Eight East play Friday at Glenbard South (1-1).
Waubonsie Valley 50, Plainfield East 0:
Josh Tinney and Nate Cerilli each had interception returns for touchdowns during Waubonsie Valley’s 50-0 nonconference victory over Plainfield East.
Chrisjan Simmons led the way on offense with 4 touchdowns, while Josh Siekarski added a TD pass to Dylan Beacom for the Warriors (2-0).
Aurora Christian 62, Crane 6:
Asa Johnson connected with Jonan Miceli for 3 touchdown passes to lead Aurora Christian (2-0) to a 62-6 nonconference win over Crane in Aurora.
Chris Fielding added a pair of rushing touchdowns, while River Kovarik and Johnson also had TD runs for the Chargers, who enjoyed a 42-point opening quarter.
Westmont 56, Catalyst-Maria 34:
Senior quarterback Lucas Fears’ 71-yard touchdown keeper highlighted Westmont’s 56-34 nonconference home win over Catalyst-Maria. The Sentinels are now 1-1.