WW South reaches football quarterfinals for first time since 2019
Wheaton Warrenville South is hungry for more.
The Tigers advanced to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2019, beating host Riverside-Brookfield 45-14 Friday in a Class 6A second-round playoff football game.
“We’re just hungry for more. That’s a great win and we’re only going to get better from it and learn from our mistakes,” said Tigers quarterback A.J. Rogers, who completed 18 of 26 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns.
There weren’t that many mistakes. The No. 6 seeded Tigers scored six touchdowns by six players — Trent Simpson, Malachi Thomas and Clark Jensen on the ground, and Steven Harvey, Blake Ittersagen and Kennan Yarbrough through the air.
And completing the scoring against the No. 3 seed Bulldogs, sophomore kicker Drew Maletich drilled a 52-yard field goal with 54 seconds left in the third quarter.
I’ve got to thank my linemen,” Rogers said of center Tate Kedzior, guards Robbie Kwelser and Liam Gallagher, and tackles Andrew Bourne and Caden Schwichtenberg.
“I had all the time in the pocket to make whatever throws I want. Our running game was on point. Everything was working for us.”
Wheaton Warrenville South (8-3) advances to the quarterfinals against No. 2 seed Normal Community West, a 33-21 winner over Pekin.
On its first possession Riverside-Brookfield (9-2) seemed to surprise the Tigers. On third-and-10, Bulldogs quarterback Braeden Novak hit Nicholas Caputo in stride down the right sideline as a deep receiver cleared out coverage.
Henry Jurgens’ kick gave Riverside-Brookfield the 7-0 lead at 10:05 of the first quarter.
Tigers cornerback Sean Lyle learned from that.
“First play it was kinda my fault,” he said. “Bad eyes, bad discipline. But then I came back, flushed the play, short-term memory, and got the pick.”
He got two of them, as did Sajaan Ray.
After that WW South reeled off a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Jensen and scores on Blake Ittersagen’s 48-yard catch and a 20-yard catch by Steven Harvey to led 21-7 with 1:23 left in the second quarter.
“A.J. trusted me to catch the ball,” said Harvey, who caught 6 passes for 135 yards. “It’s just practice reps. it’s just stuff we do daily. I’m just blessed with Blake, Mason (Bachara), all the other receivers and tight ends.”
Riverside-Brookfield gained momentum going into the locker room. Novak drove the Bulldogs 60 yards and threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to James Organ. The left-footed Jurgens delivered to pull R-B within 21-14 at halftime.
After halftime the Bulldogs attempted to gain more momentum with an onside kick, snatched up by the Tigers’ Nolan Novak.
“That’s a huge play. They had some momentum coming in at halftime, and then we take that away,” said Tigers coach Sean Norris.
Momentum switched uniforms, as Simpson ran for a 15-yard touchdown, Rogers hit Kennan Yarbrough on a 9-yard touchdown catch, and Malachi Thomas scored on a 5-yard run.
“I’m really proud of these seniors for this accomplishment. I know this is a good mark for them to get back to the quarterfinals, and it’s good for our program, it’s really good for our program,” Norris said.
“That’s what it’s about, being able to carry memories together and continue to be able to practice for seven more days.”