By Bobby Narang
With the first high school football State playoffs in two years set to take place next week, Wheaton North High School is among the many teams vying for the big payoff.
Riding a solid defense and a big-play offense, led by quarterback Mark Forcucci, the Falcons are among the top teams in the State.
They showed it in week eight, by posting an impressive 27-0 victory over Geneva in DuKane Conference play.
The Falcons, 7-1 and 5-1, enter the regular season finale with their lone loss to Batavia in week three, a 23-20 decision on the road. Since that defeat, the Falcons, led by head coach Joe Wardynski, allowed just 35 points in their last four games, including eight points in the last two games.
Wardynski said his entire team is playing at ahigh level, but noted the performance of his defense against Geneva.
“The defense really played well,” Wardynski said. “(Geneva) does some good things in the run and pass game and really keeps you off-balance, but our guys played solid against the run and pass. We’ve got a lot of seniors with a lot of experience and they understand the importance of going after the football and they put it into practice. It was great to see our guys stop them at the one-yard line.”
• Besides the first time in two years, the playoffs could be a little strange to long-time observers, with several elite programs looking in from the outside. Montini, 3-5, lost its last two games to fall out of contention, Nazareth is on the playoff bubble with a 4-4 record, and Providence Catholic, 3-5, lost its last two games, two of them by shutouts.
• In the Upstate Eight Conference, South Elgin, 8-0 and 7-0, is the runaway champion of the regular season. East Aurora, 4-4 and 4-4, defeated West Chicago, 50-6, to land on the playoff bubble, and Glenbard South, 7-1 and 7-1, gained a big momentum-building victory and secured second place in the UEC, by defeating Glenbard East, 40-20, in week eight behind a monster game from Trevor Burnett. The senior running back rushed for 243 yards and scored three touchdowns. Burnett, who has 10 scholarship offers, said he’s excited about the upcoming playoffs.
“We have at least two more games left this season (at home against Fenton and at least one playoff game),” Burnett said. “We’re going to go to work. I truly think this team is very special. We’ve shown a glimpse of what we can do. Teams are going to have a hard time with us in the playoffs.”
Playoff pairings will be released on television Saturday evening across the State.