Wheaton is famous for being Red Grange’s hometown, but the crosstown rivalry game on Friday looked more like a Dick Butkus or Mike Singletary type of contest for a while.
Behind junior quarterback AJ Rogers, Wheaton Warrenville South changed that in the second half against Wheaton North.
“We knew they were dropping deep, and I was forcing stuff I didn’t need to force,” Rogers said. “In the second half, I took what they gave me, so I took my checkdowns, and we were able to move the ball.”
Rogers completed just 5 of 12 pass attempts for 41 yards with an interception in the first half, but he was perfect on seven throws after halftime to lead the Tigers to a 21-16 road win over the previously unbeaten Falcons.
“This is great, especially for the seniors,” Rogers said. “They have bragging rights the rest of their lives.”
Leading 7-3 at halftime, Wheaton Warrenville South (4-2) scored on its first two drives of the second half to go up 21-3 on Rogers’ 6-yard pass to Blake Ittersagen and a 15-yard run by Malaki Thomas.
A couple of substitutes helped change the tone in the second half. One was Thomas, a junior with limited carries this season. He finished as the game’s leading rusher with nine attempts for 64 yards, all after halftime.
“We knew it was going to be a physical, grind-it-out game,” Wheaton Warrenville South coach Sean Norris said. “Malaki, he started running really hard downhill, and we just went to the hot hand. He was able to put the game away. He doesn’t flinch. He’s a really tough, physical kid.”
Wheaton North (5-1) was starting a backup quarterback, Rory Burke, then switched to sophomore Grant Neibch, who got his first varsity action. Neibch, whose older brother Burke is the usual starter, was up to the task, completing 9 of 12 pass attempts for 93 yards and a touchdown.
“The plan was to get him in a little bit, and we were just kind of stuck, and we weren’t moving the ball very well,” Wheaton North coach Joe Wardynski said. “It wasn’t necessarily the quarterback’s fault. They did a really good job on their defensive front, I felt like, and we didn’t run the ball as effectively as we have in the previous five games.”
The Falcons’ offense needed a spark and got it. Gavin Neiss went up high for a 19-yard touchdown reception from Neibch, and then the Falcons recovered the onside kick and scored again on a 4-yard run by Mac Murray to close within 21-16 with 4:39 left.
Wheaton North kicked deep this time, and Thomas ran for a pair of first downs to secure Wheaton Warrenville South’s win.
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Murray was limited to 33 yards on 16 carries against an inspired defense. Zach Turner was one of the Tigers’ leaders with two sacks.
“We’re so close,” Turner said. “We all have this mindset where it’s like, ‘Stay green, keep going.’ Nobody dislikes anybody. It feels like one unit out there.”
The first quarter included just three combined first downs. Finally, a flurry of momentum-changing defensive plays led to the game’s first score. First, Wheaton North’s Johnny Clayton intercepted a tipped pass, but the offense couldn’t move the ball, and the subsequent punt was blocked by Clark Jensen.
Wheaton Warrenville South went straight to the trick play, with receiver Mason Bachara catching a backward pass and then throwing a 28-yard touchdown to Ittersagen, to take a 7-0 lead with 3:28 left in the first half.
Wheaton North responded with a nice two-minute drill, and Burke found Adam Schilling for a 36-yard gain to the 7-yard line. Ryan Chrusciel kicked a 33-yard field goal to make it 7-3 at halftime.