No storybook ending for Tigers
CHAMPAIGN -- Lake Zurich had been there, but the Bears hadn't done it -- till Saturday.
Returning to the Class 7A championship football game after falling to St. Rita in 2006, Lake Zurich took the next step Saturday at Memorial Stadium with a 7-3 win over Wheaton Warrenville South, ending the defending Class 8A champion's 27-game winning streak.
"It definitely feels a lot better," said Bears coach Bryan Stortz.
"I think it was motivation for all the kids and coaches throughout the entire off-season," he said of the 2006 loss. "We knew what it took to be here last year and we knew the trip would not be easy at all. It's very difficult to get back here, and to be able to beat a great opponent like Wheaton Warrenville South is something. I'm very proud of our kids."
With good reason. Lake Zurich (13-1) put just six defenders near the line of scrimmage but allowed just 7 net rushing yards, a Class 7A playoff and title-game record. Lake Zurich defensive linemen John Brewer and Will Koukal and linebackers Tyler Lafontaine and Brent Marks each notched at least 3 tackles for loss.
"We've been stopping the run good all year," said nose tackle Brewer, who finished with 4 tackles and a forced fumble. "We knew we could keep up with them. We just had to play."
Forcing WW South out of its preferred balance, quarterback Mike Piatkowski passed 28 times -- 4 more than WW South (13-1) ran -- and completed 18 for 205 yards. Wideout Chris Schweighardt caught 10 passes for 138 yards.
"It seemed like every time we had a run play they had us in the backfield dropping us for 3 yards, so we kind of had to resort to throwing the ball more than usual," Schweighardt said.
After a scoreless first quarter in which WW South pushed a 36-yard field goal wide left on the Tigers' first possession, Kevin Johnson's interception had Lake Zurich at WW South's 30-yard line.
"Huge plays come and go," Johnson said, "and we took that momentum, got that touchdown and that's all that we needed."
Lake Zurich fumbled on a run play but got away with it on Adam Simpson's recovery. Mark Guinter's 11-yard diving catch of a Bobby DeLeo pass set up a 4-yard touchdown run by all-stater Jon Janus, who finished with 79 yards on 17 carries.
"I don't think I should take credit for that," Janus said. "The credit should definitely go to our defense for getting the turnover."
WW South also capitalized on a turnover. Dan Conroy's punt hit a Lake Zurich player in the leg, and Pat Kelly recovered on the 6-yard line. Unable to score on three running plays, Conroy's 19-yard field goal came as the first half expired.
"Their defense was probably the quickest we've faced all year," said WW South's Indiana-bound offensive tackle Will Matte. "Their linemen moved well, their linebackers flew to the ball."
The Tigers had a good chance to start the third quarter, cornerback Tom Marsh recovering a fumble on the Lake Zurich 36. Piatkowski hit Schweighardt on a 21-yard pass to the Bears' 3, but a penalty brought it back and the Tigers were forced to punt.
WW South later lost a fumble at Lake Zurich's 38-yard line, but the Bears truly salted away the win on a scoreless 14-play fourth-quarter drive, and on Michael Dietrick's interception on the Tigers' final series, which started with 1:47 left to play.
"Credit to Lake Zurich," said WW South coach Ron Muhitch. "They put us in that situation, that pressure, and they put us in that situation where we had to come up with some kind of a miracle at the end to try to pull it off. And I think that's a credit to how they play."
"It's incredible," DeLeo said. "We tried not to think about last year too much coming into this year. To get down here again is awesome and go to come away with the win, it's even better."