WW South starts strong, cruises to DuKane Conference win over St. Charles North

Posted October 02, 2026 10:47 pm

By Jared Birchfield

The first two possessions of Friday’s DuKane Conference clash between Wheaton Warrenville South and St. Charles North set the tone.

Electing to receive on the opening kickoff, the host North Stars’ opening drive stalled on the Tigers’ 27-yard line when St. Charles North’s fourth down conversion attempt fell short.

The Tigers responded by marching 73 yards in five plays to take the lead on a 47-yard run by Malaki Thomas.

WW South continued to hold the upper hand throughout the contest to spoil St. Charles North’s homecoming with a 35-7 win.

“The first two drives were very important. Everyone was doing their job. The line was blocking great,” said Steven Harvey, who scored three of Wheaton Warrenville’s touchdowns. “Malaki with a nice hard run. That was perfect for us. It set the tone and set the bar high.”

The North Stars’ second drive ended with an interception by Joshia DeJesus at the Tigers’ 44-yard line. WW South (5-2, 4-1) ended the ensuing drive on 20-yard pass from quarterback AJ Rogers to Harvey, who grabbed the ball in the back left corner of the end zone. The junior finished the night catching seven Rogers passes for 140 yards. Harvey also scored on 44-yard and 17-yard tosses from the Tigers QB.

Rogers completed 15 of 17 attempts for 212 yards.

WW South led 28-0 at halftime. The Tigers’ defense stymied St. Charles North into the third quarter with North Stars drives continuing to end with punts or turnover on downs.

WW South’s clock control also limited the North Stars offense. The Tigers’ opening drive of the third quarter, which ended with a 24-yard Rogers run into the end zone, took four and a half minutes off the clock. The Tigers’ second possession of the quarter ended with a punt but burned another four minutes of time.

St. Charles North (3-4, 1-4) finally got on the scoreboard in the final quarter on a 53-yard run by Jeremiah Michael (75 yards on five carries).

Thomas led Wheaton Warrenville South’s ground game, rushing for 80 yards on eight carriers.

Tommy Vendl rushed for 78 yards on 12 carries for the North Stars.

The Tigers honed in on their tasks from the opening kick.

“We talked all week about executing their jobs. They were focused in on their jobs,” WW South coach Sean Norris said. “We knew that St. Charles would be ready to play so. I’m proud of our guys for being focused from the first snap.”