South ready to tackle postseason

Downers Grove South's 34-12 victory over West Suburban Gold opponent Morton on Oct. 23 was only a prelude to yet another postseason berth.

The Mustangs (7-2, 6-0 WSG) clinched the conference title outright with their seventh straight win and will begin a new chapter this week against 6-3 Waubonsie Valley in the first round of the playoffs.

Waubonsie is seeded 10th and the Mustangs seventh in Class 8A. Game time is 6 p.m. Oct. 31 at Benedictine University in Lisle.

"They're a very athletic team with a lot of speed at the skill positions," Downers Grove South coach John Belskis said. "They have lots of senior starters (both ways) and they're battle-tested. They've played some tough opponents."

Belskis believes the Mustangs are as healthy as they've been all year on both sides of the ball.

He cited the healthy defense and "dangerous weapons inside and outside" offensively as reasons for optimism in the days leading up to the showdown with Waubonsie.

The longtime Downers South coach doesn't see any glaring areas of weakness heading into the postseason.

"You've got to dial in everything," he said.

Wide receiver Jason Jozaites (two touchdowns against Morton), running back Reggie Miller (one rushing and one receiving touchdown) and quarterback Chandler Whitmer (three touchdown passes) headline the offensive juggernauts.

South's win over Morton (1-8, 0-6) amid sloppy conditions gears the Mustangs up for the postseason, but it also capped a determined run that began after Downers Grove dropped its first two games of the year to ranked teams Bolingbrook and Glenbard West.

To a man, the Mustangs said they never felt dispirited despite the 0-2 start.

"It increased our swagger," senior running back Reggie Miller said.

Defensive lineman and classmate Tyler Rocco explained why the team wasn't discouraged.

"A couple plays here and there, and we easily could have won one or both games," Rocco said. "We looked at film and made a change here, a change there."

The team chemistry this season that has defined the Mustangs also has been the glue that has kept the group together.

Offensive lineman Nick Monaghan elaborated on the close-knit nature of the 2009 team:

"The thing that helped us (early on) was that we were able to stay together as a close group. We didn't let the two losses get us down too much."

Monaghan's spirits remain high, despite recently tearing his left ACL.

Brother Mike, also a junior offensive lineman, attributed the team's turnaround to the group's sound work ethic.

"We've just been working hard," he said. Mike Monaghan also called his defense "tough" and noted the abundance of returning starters on that side of the ball.

Safe to say, the Mustangs players are pumped up and ready to go for their playoff game.

"It's no different than any other week," Miller said. "We want to have no regrets (and) just play hard."

As Rocco put it, "I just can't wait."

Mike Monaghan said Downers South will focus on "one game and one play at a time."

And Belskis would agree with all of those comments. As he said: "Once you get into the postseason, there's such a thin margin for error. It could be an extra point that decides a game. Things like special teams become even more important because the game could turn on one play."

Comment at thedownersgrovesun.com