Sports
Friday Night Lights: An Inside Look at Week 9 Games in Wheaton
It's the Falcons vs. the Tigers in the annual cross-town showdown at WWS. The playoff-bound Spartans host St. Edward at College of DuPage.
Wheaton North at Wheaton Warrenville South
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Wheaton Warrenville South High School, 1993 Tiger Trail
Records: 7-1, 6-0; 5-3, 5-1
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Last week: Wheaton North 27, Glenbard North 17; Wheaton Warrenville South 41, Glenbard East 20
Head coaches: Joe Wardynski, Wheaton North; Ron Muhitch, Wheaton Warrenville South
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Key players
Wheaton North: Landon Bruni, OL; John Daniels, WR; Micah Penn, WR; John Peltz, QB; Patrick Sharp, RB; Mike Swider, LB
Wheaton Warrenville South: Thaddeus Armstrong, QB; Adam Dansdill, LB; Patrick Garner, RB; Jack Lipinsky, DE; Brandon Peterson, LB; Dan Vitale, RB
About the game
A few weeks ago, with the Tigers faltering and the Falcons surging, this annual showdown between the two cross-town rivals didn’t look like it was going count for much other than for bragging rights. Now, as White Sox play-by-play announcer Hawk Harrelson likes to say, "it’s time to strap it down."
Bragging rights are still at stake, but so is the DVC title. The Falcons, ranked ninth in Class 7A, would like nothing more than to not only defeat the Tigers—something they haven’t done since Wardyinski’s been coach—but win the DVC crown outright and do so on Red Grange Field. The Tigers, winners of four straight, became playoff eligible by virtue of last Friday’s victory over Glenbard East. If WWS can stick it to the Falcons, it will grab a share of the conference championship and automatically qualify for the postseason with a sixth win. But even if the Tigers fall, they’ll make the postseason with five wins and the strength of their schedule, which included games against undefeated Glenbard West and Maine South—the top ranked Class 7A and 8A squads, respectively.
Can Peltz and Sharp, who’ve racked up sizable yardage and touchdown totals throughout the year, do so against a Tiger defense that’s arguably the conference’s best? Can the Tigers—whose offense has averaged just over 38 points per game vs. West Aurora, West Chicago and Glenbard East (they’re a combined 5-19)—generate enough points against a high-quality foe like the Falcons? (The Tigers have never scored more than 14 points in contests against the five other opponents they’ve already played. Those five have a combined record of 31-9.)
Vitale, who sat out last week’s game with a hip pointer, should be ready to go on Friday and give the Tigers a boost. But these aforementioned questions, and more, will be answered Friday evening.
St. Edward vs. St. Francis
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: College of DuPage football field, Herb Salberg Sports Complex, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn
Records: St. Edward 4-4, 1-3; 6-2, 2-2
Last week:Aurora Christian 55, St. Edward 22; St. Francis 18, Immaculate Conception 0
Head coaches: Mike Roland, St. Edward; Greg Purnell, St. Francis
Key players
St. Edward: Matt Brockner, WR; Luke Duffy, RB; Robert French, QB; Ryan Johnson, RB; Joe Stump, LB; Dennis Turnquist, LB
St. Francis: Dan Beck, RB-DB; Kyle Bosch, OT; Nick Donati, QB; Robert Dwyer, OT; Jack Petrando, RB-LB; Jeff Ruskowski, RB-LB
About the game
St. Edward started the year 3-0, but reality set in when it got into the meat of its Suburban Christian Blue schedule. The Green Wave had their clock cleaned by divisional powerhouses Marian (47-3), Montini (59-14) and Aurora Christian in successive weeks. Yet in spite of the beatings they’ve taken, St. Edward still has a shot at its third straight playoff appearance if it can upend the Spartans. But that could be a tall order.
The Spartans assured themselves of a playoff berth for the fourth straight season after blanking IC, a ranked Class 4A team up until two weeks ago. St. Francis, which isn’t ranked in Class 5A but received eight votes in last week’s AP state poll, did a great job containing IC’s versatile quarterback, Demetrius Carr—particularly Peter Quirk, Steve Flaherty and Josh Croci up front. Petrando continues to run wild for the Spartans, gaining over 170 yards vs. IC and scoring a touchdown.
French’s two favorite targets are Brockner and Duffy out of the backfield. Duffy, Johnson and Troy Gudino also form a quality running triumvirate for the Green Wave. A likely Spartan win Friday would tie them for the most victories in a season since 2009.
