On the right track

Beware of Dominique "The Dominator" Ware. Opponents of the Plainfield North High School football team, specifically wide receivers, quarterbacks and punters, should be wary when the 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior cornerback delivers saves like the Dominik Hasek of the secondary.

While Hasek, a former Blackhawks draft pick, became the first European No. 1 goalie to win the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002, Ware joined Jacob Arnold and Andrew Starks as sophomore starters on the Tigers' first varsity unit in 2006. Eventually, especially on defense, the puck and the buck would stop with No. 24.

Besides being what coach Tim Kane described as "that kid who just makes a lot of great plays," Ware has had his way in all three phases of the game. He lines up at wideout. He blocks punts. He even provides special-teams coverage. But when the Northern Illinois University-bound turns to corner, everybody realizes there is something extra about Ware.

He will wear you out.

"I think the best part of my game is I like to play up close to the receiver, jam him, get real physical," Ware said. "Other than that, if they do come off the ball, then I can just run with them. But I would much rather be physical than play out five yards off the ball."

Five remains the number most on the mind of Ware's Plainfield North teammates. Because after a one-win start that featured four losses by a combined total of 11 points to the likes of Lockport, St. Viator and Southwest Prairie Conference leaders Plainfield Central and Oswego, the Tigers are deep in the hunt of their playoff lives.

Thus, on Friday night at the fresh place dubbed The North Side, Plainfield North (4-4, 4-2) plays host to defending Class 5A state runnerup Morris (4-4, 4-2), with the winner qualifying for the postseason showcase and the vanquished heading for the showers for the final time until next fall. The kickoff has been set for 7 p.m.

From that opening whistle, many of Morris' coaching eyes will be on the whereabouts of Ware. He has totaled 32 tackles, 3 interceptions and 6 pass breakups for the Tiger defense, adding 4 receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown on the other side of the ball, and has been the epitome of what hockey aficionados call a shift disturber.

"That's the amazing thing about him," Kane said. "He's also blocked some punts for us this year, he's a great cover guy on special teams, and we're certainly glad to have him."

***

Remember Peter Gabriel's big post-Genesis hit with "Sledgehammer" in 1986? Although Plainfield North's players were not yet born by that summer, the Tigers have adopted it as a symbol for their defense, taking a sledgehammer out on the field for the pregame warmups in paying homage to the physical style they want to employ on every series over 48 minutes.

Along with the swift Ware, North's 5-2 scheme boasts a brigade of artisans: 6-2, 205-pound senior safety Andrew Starks, 6-2, 190-pound junior middle linebacker Matt Meyers and 6-1, 210-pound defensive end Paul Duke. A state-qualifying member of the Tigers' 800 relay team, Ware might be the fastest of the bunch, but Starks, Meyers and Duke added a caveat.

He will hammer you.

"Oh, definitely, 'Dom' brings something to the table that a lot of people can't bring -- he brings leadership, speed, athleticism and he'll knock you around, too," Meyers said. "He's just a raw athlete and a football player."

"The thing is, 'Dom' goes hard on every play," Duke said. "He's a huge asset on the field and he's always helping me out. He always has that mentality of, 'Let's get this done and we can do whatever we want.' He gets after it."

Said Starks: "I can't even begin to tell you how hard he has worked since he was a freshman, in the weight room and doing those little things after practice ends. He plays on offense, he plays defense and special teams, and he can do anything that we ask him to do."

Much like with Ware, North asks a stark amount from Starks, particularly since the season-ending knee injury suffered by Arnold. Starks has contributed 71 tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception on defense and rotates at quarterback with junior Bryce Corrigan, completing 28-of-58 passes for 367 yards and 2 TDs and rushing for 377 yards and 7 TDs on 84 carries.

Ware, meanwhile, has 19 yards on 2 rushes. His main focus has been on defense, where Meyers' 82 tackles and 2 sacks and Duke's 20 tackles, 4 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks have tossed gasoline on the fire of a three-game winning streak. In succession, the Tigers trounced Minooka 43-6, Oswego East 13-6 and Plainfield South 14-7.

"Compared to last year, we're playing better and at a higher level, and a lot of that is because of the way coach Kane coaches," Ware said. "He always emphasizes hitting and being aggressive. We emphasize our hammer, we bring that sledgehammer out on the field, and that means a lot to us. We're about getting everybody to the ball."

"Our defense has kept us in games," Kane said. "We have such a great group of kids in our whole program, but these defensive guys are special. They're great kids besides being great football players, they're fun to coach, and they give the maximum effort."

***

The turning point of the Tigers' season presented itself in Week 4 after a trifecta of losses -- 20-14 to Lockport, 19-17 to St. Viator and 16-14 to Plainfield Central. Barely 4 minutes into the first quarter at home against Romeoville, Arnold broke off a 70-yard run and was tackled from behind on the sideline by Antoine Curry and Angel Pena, a broken ankle ensuing.

Later, during the second quarter, Ware blocked a punt that sparked North to a 21-0 lead, and his 26-yard TD catch from Corrigan capped the scoring in a 48-0 rout. The Tigers bonded that night in the midst of tragedy, a close-knit core of seniors losing their headliner, and that meant players like Ware grabbing the spotlight.

Lock, stock and barrel.

"He's our lockdown corner," Starks said. "No doubt, 'Dom' is our go-to guy. If they have a top receiver that they are going to throw to, we want him on that guy because we have the utmost faith in him as a player that he will shut him down and get the job done every single time. He's smart."

"He shuts down the passing," Meyers agreed. "He's a leader, and we can line him up on the best receiver, their go-to guy, and he can shut that guy right down. He's our shutdown guy."

As the weak safety and the quarterback, Starks' responsibilities include overseeing the shutdown of the opposing offense and igniting the Tigers' offense. With Ware there, he is tight.

"That's what we do," Starks said. "I'm kind of worried about the other side of the field because I know that he has his side of the field locked down over there. I'm a lot more comfortable knowing that I have someone over there I don't have to worry about."

In his third year with North, Kane serves as the Tigers' defensive coordinator as well, but he has few worries if the football sails toward Ware's direction on the ground or in the air.

"I'm a physical guy," Ware said. "I really don't like offense. I play it if I have to, but defense is flying around and having fun out there, and that's what I love to do. You can show more emotion on defense. On offense, you have to try and play under control, but on defense, you can just let it loose."

"You can see it by how much fun they are having out there," Kane said. "They're enjoying themselves and that's what you want. You want them to do what you ask them to do, but you want them to have fun. You want them to play with great emotion, to play with great passion, but you want them to look like they are having a great time."

According to Ware, winning projects as the greatest time. The Tigers finished 3-6 overall and 2-5 in the Southwest Prairie last season, so his philosophy caters to that fine buffet.

"I try to do everything that I can to help us win," Ware said. "Blocking punts, that came from doing everything the coaches tell you right -- staying in my lane, breaking down and driving, all the little stuff. I want to do everything that I can to win."

***

Bowling Green and Ball State were among the suitors for Dominique Ware's services during the summer. He is a college football recruiter's dream, with a 4.3 grade-point average on a 5.0 scale and a 22 ACT. Smart, skilled and speedy? Sign him up, and Coach Jerry Kill's Northern Illinois program hopefully will in November.

After giving his verbal commitment, Ware offered the usual sigh of relief. He wanted to be able to concentrate on North's ascension, a first winning record and a playoff berth among the realm of possibilities, and wondering about the future seemed counterproductive to the wise defensive back.

"I chose that school because I'll probably get playing time early and they have a lot of seniors leaving," Ware said. "I got that out of the way early because I knew it would be a distraction for me during season with all the phone calls, so I went ahead and committed before things got started."

From there, Ware could get started on North's regular-season trek. The winner-take-all spaceship lands Friday in Plainfield, with the Tigers expecting the unique, extraterrestrial excitement of a Star Trek convention.

"We're really amped," Duke said. "Everybody is stoked, the whole school is stoked, the community is excited and we're excited. The whole team, it's all that we're thinking about right now. We're glad to have the opportunity to play a team like Morris with a lot of tradition, and I believe that we will be prepared to go after it."

"It's a huge game for us," Starks said. "We know they are going to be ready to play and they want to make the playoffs. I know we are going to be ready to play and we want to make the playoffs. Our defense has kept us in every game, and we do drills that get all 11 players to the ball, we all hustle, we all hit, and that's who we are."

Who Ware is and who he has become can be traced to attending individual summer camps at NIU, Bowling Green and Ball State and with his North teammates at Vanderbilt and Wisconsin. Meyers, for one, has witnessed the effect of his performances.

He is, truly, The Dominator.

"He blocks punts, he runs the ball, he can cover anybody," Meyers said. "He's definitely a great, great athlete."