Like Wheaton Warrenville South football coach Sean Norris said before the season opener on Friday, it was like the old DuPage Valley Conference days.
The Tigers’ 27-7 win over Naperville Central at Red Grange Field in Wheaton marked the first time the former conference foes had faced each other since the 2017 season, the last time both were in the DVC.
They rekindled one of the state’s oldest rivalries on Friday in a nonconference game between teams that have won a combined nine state championships.
The first half was a contrast between Wheaton Warrenville South’s ball possession and Naperville Central’s big-play ability. The Tigers ran 35 plays from scrimmage, while the Redhawks mustered 17.
More Top Picks Best Ergonomic Keyboards For Students
“All week we’ve really focused on running the ball, pounding the ball, and then our pass game will come,” said Wheaton Warrenville South junior quarterback AJ Rogers, who ran for 43 yards and passed for 189 yards and two touchdowns.
In the first quarter, the Tigers began with a 10-play, 66-yard drive capped by junior wide receiver Blake Ittersagen’s 36-yard touchdown catch on a post route, and sophomore Drew Maletich’s kick gave them a 7-0 lead at 7:22.
Ittersagen caught seven passes for 88 yards.
Naperville Central responded quickly. Junior wide receiver Mark Williams’ 51-yard catch-and-run set up junior running back Ryan Jacobson’s 1-yard touchdown plunge, and junior kicker Noah Evans knotted the score at 7-7 at 6:20 of the first quarter.
Williams finished with three catches for 74 yards as senior quarterback Simon Hayes passed for for 187 yards.
Wheaton Warrenville South again went 66 yards to go up 14-7 on Rogers’ 8-yard flare pass to 6-foot-4 junior wide receiver Steven Harvey with 1:37 left in the first quarter.
After Maletich’s 44-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter, the Tigers went into halftime leading 17-7.
The trend continued in a cramp-filled second half. Wheaton Warrenville South’s defense got off the field to start the third quarter, and the offense held the ball for more than six minutes. Again, Maletich impressed with a 30-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 20-7 lead at 2:58 of the third quarter.
Wheaton Warrenville South junior running back Trent Simpson broke that mold, however, turning a counter play up the middle into a 74-yard touchdown run. The Tigers took a 27-7 lead with 9:50 left in the game.
Simpson finished with 133 rushing yards.
More Top Picks How To Make Reading Fun For A Child Who Hates It
“No one’s catching him,” Rogers said. “That was a great run.
“We all executed as a team, it was a total team win today. We came in ready, and we showed it.”