Naperville Central sophomore linebacker Gavin Wade spent some time alone with his thoughts before making his varsity debut Friday night.
Then he went out and introduced himself to a large crowd and a tough opponent.
“I was locked in all day,” Wade said. “Before the game, I was sitting by myself just thinking. I was ready to go, and when my time came, I showed up.”
Wade played like a dervish in a spectacular opening act. He scored what ended up being the game-winning touchdown on a fumble recovery to help the Redhawks top visiting Hinsdale Central 24-9 at Memorial Stadium.
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The game was tied 3-3 when Wade made the key play. Christian Kuta’s sack forced Hinsdale Central to punt from its 36-yard line, but the snap went sailing over the punter’s head.
An alert Wade sprinted after the ball, outracing two Hinsdale Central players to it and falling on it as he slid across the goal line with 3:36 remaining in the second quarter.
“In the moment, it was crazy, with all the fans and everything,” Wade said. “I was full of speed. I knew I was getting that ball. I wanted to score. That helped our team.”
Wade, one of five sophomores to see action on defense, helped the Redhawks throughout the game. He had a half-sack, nearly made an interception while breaking up a pass in the red zone and generally made a nuisance of himself.
“All summer and this fall, he’s been so explosive,” Naperville Central coach Mike Ulreich said. “Tonight, he set the edge of our defense.
“He does so with aggression. He put some big hits on people, and he does a lot of things. He played really well.”
So did most of Naperville Central’s defenders, including senior defensive back Ryan Spickerman, who had a fourth-quarter interception, and defensive linemen Maverick Ohle, John Stout and Oliver Robak, who helped hold the Red Devils to 102 yards rushing on 30 carries.
“They couldn’t run the football, and that was a tribute to our defensive line,” Ulreich said. “That’s a nice thing.”
Spickerman, one of Naperville Central’s co-captains, said seeing young players like Wade shine is a nice thing too.
“I was very impressed with him,” Spickerman said. “He rose to the challenge. Being a sophomore on varsity is pretty tough with all the pressure. I’m proud of him.”
There was pressure on the defense for most of the game. The Redhawks didn’t score an offensive touchdown until senior quarterback Chris McCormack hit junior Christopher Bern on a 6-yard scoring strike to make it 17-3 with 6:17 to go in the third quarter.
Varsity rookies can have some butterflies, and Wade was no exception. But he managed.
“I had nerves,” Wade said. “Once I saw the fans, I was nervous a little bit, but then I adapted and got the job done.”
Spickerman and the other seniors made sure Wade was prepared.
“We talked as a defense before this game,” Spickerman said. “We knew our assignments, we knew what to do and we all trust each other.”
Hinsdale Central scored its only touchdown on a 4-yard quarterback keeper by Billy Cernugel with 3:41 left in the fourth quarter, but another botched snap left the Red Devils trailing 17-9.
The Redhawks ran all but the final 18 seconds off the clock, with McCormack tossing a 31-yard touchdown pass to Bern to cap the scoring.
For Wade, this performance figures to be only the beginning.
“He’s an athletic freak,” Spickerman said. “Every play that comes his way, he’s making that play.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.