Shane Dierking sees these looks all the time in practice, making the adjustments Naperville North is no doubt working on this week. The Wheaton Warrenville South senior defensive back must account for Mack Tracey and Reilly O'Toole.
"My dad always says that two quarterbacks never works, but I guess this does," Dierking said. "It's kind of different because Mack can run. He can also put the ball in the air. Reilly's just a pro-style quarterback (who) can throw the ball all over the field. But it's a great combo, putting them both on the field."
Dierking's brother Dan is a junior running back at Purdue, and their father Scott played for the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so the family knows what they're talking about.
It's unconventional, but it's working for a WW South team that's ranked fifth by the Chicago Sun-Times. The Tigers (3-1) visit No. 17 North (3-1) on Friday night in what will again be a key DuPage Valley Conference showdown.
Walking off the field after last week's 24-8 victory over No. 19 Naperville Central (3-1), WW South coach Ron Muhitch motioned toward his play-calling script and said he went off it as soon as the Tigers fumbled on the game's second play.
"I felt real comfortable with Mack running the offense," Muhitch said. "In a big game, when you have that much pressure on your quarterback, you want to make sure (you) don't put them in situations that might cause them to think that it's his game. And I think that we've done that to Reilly a little bit.
"With Mack, we share the load a little bit better, so I like that concept. And I think it brought our run game out. It allowed our offensive line to be what we want them to be -- (the) dominating factor."
Tracey ran the ball 11 times for 47 net yards, a total that would have been even higher if he wasn't sacked for a 10-yard loss. The senior, who also splits out to wide receiver at times, completed 5 of 8 passes for 43 yards against Central.
O'Toole's final line was 2 of 3 for 35 yards, but he delivered with one of the game's biggest plays, a 31-yard touchdown pass to Greg McAndrew that pushed the lead to 17-0.
With 5-foot-8-inch senior running back Julian Banuelos getting the bulk of the carries (15 for 87 yards) and draining the clock, the WW South staff can just go by feel.
"I got the perfect scenario," Muhitch said. "I got huge people and a small running back who's quick. (And) Mack gives me my second option to run. So that combination -- I think you see it lacking on Naperville Central's side. You got (quarterback Nick Linne running) and that's it. (You) can defend that a little bit easier sometimes.
"If we have to throw it, we'll throw it. But for right now, I like the play-action pass -- it was open every time we called it."
Both quarterbacks are in the 6-2-to-6-3, 195-pound range. They're physically similar, but create different matchup problems.
"It's just awesome to have (this)," Tracey said. "Me and Reilly are best friends and we're totally understanding about this whole situation. If he comes in, I go out to receiver. When I'm in, we have sets (where certain) players come in. And it's really special that we can do this. And I think it's kind of a secret weapon that we have."
The secret's out, but that doesn't make it much easier to defend.
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