Snow doesn’t stop Wheaton from rallying for milestone win
It was Popsicle stick weather in Waverly, Iowa, last Saturday. That's when players seek out the wooden sticks to scrape the snow and ice off their cleats.
“I think it was after our second or third offensive possession, we came over to the sideline and there was a fixation about the conditions,” Wheaton College coach Jesse Scott said. “Guys were concerned about, ''I've got to get the ice off my cleats,' or 'Where are the Popsicle sticks to clean out my shoes?' All that stuff. I felt like we were making the circumstances bigger than they were.”
No worries. Wheaton trailed No. 5 Wartburg 16-7 at halftime in the Division III playoffs. But the Thunder has been through some challenging situations this season, having played the top two teams in the country, North Central and Mount Union, both on the road.
Even adding the winter conditions last Saturday, this was nothing Wheaton couldn't handle. The Thunder controlled the second half and pulled off a 28-24 upset. Ben Crider scored the winning touchdown on a 4-yard run with 24 seconds remaining.
“I'd never played a blizzard game like that before,” Crider said. “That was really fun. That's something I'll remember for probably the rest of my life.”
Crider, from Wheaton Warrenville South, finished with 67 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns, but the Thunder was also able to throw the ball through the snow. Quarterback Mark Forcucci (Wheaton North) finished with 228 passing yards and completed 5 of 9 throws for 63 yards on the winning drive.
“In warmups I asked our quarterbacks and receivers how they felt about throwing and catching the ball and both contingents felt quite good about it,” Scott said. “So it was a matter of trusting that and not letting the conditions morph into this monster that we also had to compete against.”
Wheaton moves on to face DePauw on Saturday in Greencastle, Indiana. The Tigers (10-1) have two starters on the offensive line from the suburbs — sophomore tackle Nick Ruiz (Batavia) and two-time all-conference guard Bennett Smith (Maine South) — and a prolific QB-WR brother combination in Scott and Robby Ballentine.
Wheaton has won two playoff games for the first time since the 2019 season but will likely be road warriors the rest of the way. The winner of this game will face either St. John's or Wisconsin-River Falls in the quarterfinals. Both top seeds on the right side of the Division III bracket, Wartburg and Christopher Newport, lost last weekend.
Crider started college at Dayton but decided to transfer after the first semester when one of his high school friends came to visit.
“It was mainly (defensive back) Maison Haas,” Crider said. “He came out to Dayton one week and we were just talking about Wheaton football. He was talking about what a great experience it was. The team is very connected and it's just a community.
“I was really intrigued by that, so I decided over Christmas break (2024) to transfer to Wheaton. I can say it's the best decision I've made and I love it.”
Wheaton spent two nights in Iowa City before last week's game, so the players avoided pregame travel issues. But the snowy ride home took more than seven hours, instead of the usual four.
North Central stays home
North Central will host Wisconsin-LaCrosse in the Cardinals’ third-round Division III game at noon Saturday. Like every other Midwestern team last week, North Central played on a snowy field, but they posted 347 yards of offense in a 38-6 win over Hanover.
The Cardinals took home plenty of hardware at the end of the season. Receiver Luke Skokna (Hinsdale Central) was named CCIW offensive player of the year, while defensive lineman John Sullivan (Lakes) repeated as defensive player of the year. North Central's Brad Spencer was named coach of the year.
LaCrosse (8-2) is coached by Lake Zurich graduate Matt Janus, and the team's leading rusher is Gabe Lynch from Carmel with 634 yards.
Dual threat receiver
Illinois State wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz is a versatile weapon. The Rolling Meadows native threw the third touchdown pass of his college career last Saturday when the Redbirds beat Southeast Louisiana 21-3 in the FCS playoffs.
Sobkowicz floated a 1-yard pass on fourth down to quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse (St. Francis) in the third quarter. Sobkowicz is pretty good at his main job, too. With 57 receptions for 775 yards this season, the senior was named first-team all-Missouri Valley. Over his career, he has 33 receiving touchdowns and more than 3,000 yards.
ISU's future is bright at receiver, since freshman Luke Mailander (York) was named MVC newcomer of the year.
The Redbirds will travel to Fargo this weekend to face No. 1 North Dakota State in the second round. Those teams met in Normal earlier this season, with the Bison winning 33-16.