It's never too late to change
Switch to Wildcat offense trips Huskies
Fremd put the ball in the hands of its best player, which is what you have to do this time of year. And in the playoffs emotion can carry you only so far, as Naperville North found out during what became Larry McKeon's final game as Huskies head coach.
There were several lessons learned during the first weekend of the state tournament, and plenty of talking points to highlight in the film room across the next several days.
(Jon Cunningham/For Sun-Times Media)
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Top-seeded Fremd opened Friday night by going three-and-out on its first two possessions, and gaining one first down during the entire first quarter. Evan Wright had carried it five times for 12 yards, once for negative yardage and with no rush going longer than five yards.
During that time, Wright had two receptions for 23 yards off a screen pass and a downfield route, plays that put the 6-foot-1-inch, 193-pound senior running back in space.
Where Fremd lined up Wright next changed the whole direction of the game. He started taking direct snaps out of the Wildcat formation, and the Vikings scored on their next four possessions.
Afterward, Fremd coach Mike Donatucci told reporters in Palatine that the Vikings had worked on the look for weeks in practice, though they hadn't used it in a game yet. A 14-0 deficit forced his hand.
Wright hit the holes hard and gained 118 yards rushing after the switch. Fremd (10-0) scored 22 unanswered points to advance to face No. 9 Lake Park (8-2) and end McKeon's 27-year run at North.
Suddenly, Fremd's offense looked worthy of a No. 1 seed. Two separate touchdown drives lasted nearly six minutes each, spanning 67 and 72 yards. Wright even went 3-of-3 passing, which included a 24-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
Quarterbacks in the more traditional sense took over other first-round matchups. Marist quarterback Mike Perish, who has verbally committed to Western Michigan, threw for 346 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-14 blowout victory over Schaumburg. On Saturday No. 4 Marist (8-2) will host No. 5 Naperville Central (8-2). Central committed to the run game during Friday's 28-16 victory over Lockport, with quarterback Nick Linne throwing it only 19 times.
But of Linne's 11 completions, four went for touchdowns, all to his favorite big-play receivers who are 6-4 or taller. Cam Brate finished with six catches for 57 yards and three touchdowns, while Hayden Daniels accounted for the other score.
This bracket is stacked with big-time quarterbacks. Downers Grove South's Chandler Whitmer, an Illinois recruit, passed for three touchdowns -- including the game-winning score with 4:23 left -- in a 22-21 win over Waubonsie Valley on Saturday at Benedictine.
The 8-2 Mustangs overcame a failed extra point and two-point conversion, and benefited from the 40-yard field goal Waubonsie's Scott Kuehn missed with 28 seconds remaining.
Special-teams play is typically magnified in the playoffs, though it didn't cost Fremd, which averaged just 18.8 yards on four punts. The Vikings also failed to convert two extra points in the second half. That left it a one-possession game during a fourth quarter that saw North begin its fourth-quarter drives on Fremd's 49- and 48-yard lines.
So in Class 8A the defensive coordinators will be busy breaking down the quarterbacks. Lake Park has probably already found someone on the scout team to run the Wildcat. And everyone might want to give some extra attention to special teams. The good news for those who advanced is that there is still time to sort out all these issues. And that Maine South and its 24-game winning streak are on the other side of the bracket.
