Turnovers sink Central against WW South

Redhawks lose first game of season

WHEATON – This is what Wheaton Warrenville South does week to week. It will wait for you to make the mistake and then take advantage. The momentum can turn by merely bumping a receiver off his route or popping the football loose.

Maybe Naperville Central didn't need to play a perfect game to beat WW South, but there's no way it was going to win like this, turning the ball over on each of its four possessions in the first half of what became a 24-8 loss.

Central (3-1) came into the game ranked 10th by the Chicago Sun-Times, while WW South (3-1) was No. 5. The distance between these two DuPage Valley Conference rivals appeared much greater.

"Against good teams, you can't turn it over four times, and we did in the first half," Central coach Mike Stine said. "Offensively, we turn it over, so we're not on the field. (Our) defense, at times, couldn't get them off the field. That same story – it's not a good recipe for us when that happens.

"We dug too big a hole (and) in the second half we needed to come out and make something happen and we just couldn't do that."

The Redhawks actually finished with more total yards of offense (320-260), but at the exact midpoint of the second quarter, the Tigers were averaging nearly a point per minute, leading 17-0. Central had also trailed Neuqua Valley by a similar margin in Week 2 but still stormed back in the second half to win 21-17.

WW South is on a different level, and it certainly knows how to close out games. The Tigers have won 29 of their last 30 DVC games.

Central's only sustained drive of the first half ended on the 15th play of the possession, when defensive back Shane Dierking intercepted a Nick Linne pass in the end zone. It fit the pattern.

"We game-planned really well this week," Dierking said. "I got excited this week when I started watching the film, (realizing how much) they pass."

Here's how things went for Central: Linne connected with wide receiver Hayden Daniels for a 36-yard gain, moving into WW South territory. The very next play, Linne tried to find Daniels again, but he was knocked to the ground and looking for a pass interference penalty. Dierking picked it off, setting up a 31-yard touchdown pass from Reilly O'Toole to a wide-open Greg McAndrew. That made it 17-0.

"We just couldn't convert," Daniels said. "We had a lot of turnovers. They're a really fast team and we just made too many mental mistakes and couldn't put the ball in the end zone."

For Central to mount any sort of comeback, it would have to do it working with a long field, given that Nick Immekus, a 240-pound offensive lineman, was booming kickoffs out of the end zone. Linne went 19 of 31 for 227 yards and a touchdown pass to Chris Levine.

WW South sealed the victory with a 16-play, 67-yard drive capped by Matthew Rogers, who took the toss on fourth-and-goal and ran it in for a two-yard touchdown that put Central in a 24-0 hole with 7:12 remaining.

Everyone talks about limiting turnovers, but WW South actually does it. On Friday night the Tigers committed their first and only turnover of the season.

"Believe it or not, we teach it," WW South Ron Muhitch said. "Part of your scheme and your offense is taking a conservative (way) to control the ball and the game. And if you as a coach think you're going to be wide open, you better have fast, wide-open receivers and you better have a great running back that can outrun people. (What) we're trying to do is just keep our kids thinking (about that)."