In a game that saw a lot of mistakes from both sides, it wasn't all bad. Certainly if you read today's game story in The Sun, you know that Naperville Central wide receiver Riley O'Toole is something special for the Redhawks.
But I also thought junior Nick Linne did a good job in his debut as quarterback. Although the highlight was his 59-yard touchdown pass to O'Toole to end the first half, I was impressed by Linne's ability to run when he needed to. He bruised his way for two yards there, six yards here, but those yards add up. Linne also broke free for what should have been a 34-yard touchdown run to start the fourth quarter, but it was called back on a penalty. Central's defense also really caught fire in the second half, but went after Waubonsie quarterback Tyler Castro hard throughout the game.
As for the Warriors, it was a really rough night with all the penalties and special teams mistakes. However, Castro played well. A number of his passes were either right on target or very, very close. And despite some of the dropped passes, I was pretty impressed with Waubonsie's receiving corps. Mark Hilgers and Scott Kuehn especially stood out as bright spots. Even though last night's game wasn't the outcome expected, I think Warriors fans might see the best air attack in the last four years. The defense isn't where it was last season, but we've yet to see the impact that sophomore Owen Saldana might have at middle linebacker. Nonetheless, they had their moments. A fumble recovery in the first quarter and a killer display of tenacity to start the second. Central found themselves 1st-and-goal on the Warriors four yard line, but the Warriors shut the door at the one and bolted it closed when Pat Wellman broke up a pass into the endzone.
Both teams played with almost entirely new offensive lines and I have to give Central the edge on that one. Still, there's a lot of work to be done at both schools.
For those of you who were at the game, what bright spots did you see?
I think the outcome of Friday's game would have been a lot closer if Waubonsie's offensive line would have showed up. Aside from maybe the first 5 minutes of the game, there were at least 2 Central defenders in Tyler Castro's grill on every play. Castro played well, completing a lot of passes and trying to make things happen when he was pressured. As a WV fan, my concern is that Waubonsie's offense is not going to get anywhere without decent offensive line play, as they will not be able to set up the run or pass efficiently. Central's offense was very good, but there were simply too many missed tackles by the Warriors. Saldana in the middle should make them a lot better, and Spencer Matlock's return should solidify the defensive line, who I thought played alright. But for me, it all goes back to the offensive side of the ball and that offensive line. The Warriors have three tough games coming up against Prairie Ridge, St. Charles East, and Neuqua Valley, all away from Kerner Stadium, and if they don't get the offensive line straightened out in a hurry it could be a long year.
agreed on the junior qb nick linne, he looks darn good. he can run, good arm and he looks very poised. how did they not run a qb sneak on the two goal line plays ??? o'toole looks like a real threat and if linne keeps pumping the ball his way, he will score alot !uvnkqj
Well, according to my notes (and those notes are far from perfect, I gotta tell you) they kept handing Nick Kukuc the ball. Then on 4th-and-1, Linne tried to pass and he was broken up by Wellman. That's not a bad plan, especially if you're still trying to get a feel for everything your QB can do under the lights. And Kukuc is a good runner. Central isn't my beat Donny Cheeks, but upon one viewing I think Linne might be more versatile than Daniels. And I think that will serve you guys very, very well this season.
I think Naperville Central is going to surprise a lot of people this season. They have a good mix of juniors and seniors playing and they have some skilled athletes on the field. Nick Linne is the real deal, as a Sophomore he played on the varsity basketball team and started on the varsity baseball team. He would have played varsity football as a Sophomore if they did not have Harrison Daniels last year. He is a special kind of athlete and a great kid, very modest.
On the Defense, they are strong with Mike Kraft, Jordan Poll, Clint Woods and Alex Schaefer anchoring the D-line. They will disrupt a lot of offenses this season. Finally, Riley O'Toole will be all over the field this season, he is a great athlete and a Division I prospect. I think they can quietly be 3-0 going into the week four match-up of Wheaton-Warrenville South. We will see what will happen then and how good they really are.
Dustin, Central actually wound up running the ball 56 percent of the time last season (297 rushes, 235 pass attempts). Central had to play from behind in the 2007 opener against Waubonsie, and as a result threw the ball more than it probably would have liked. From there Daniels - an athletic guy who could dunk a basketball - became more of a dual threat. If you exclude sack yardage, he finished the year with 280 rushing yards on 47 attempts (6 per carry) and 6 rushing touchdowns. It appears that Linne has definitely earned the confidence of his teammates, and the coaching staff really likes his potential, but it won't become a question of more or less versatile than Daniels. They'll be operating in basically the same system, especially once the junior gains more experience.
My bad.
Tough start to season at 0-2, but Waubonsie has talent. They just lack varsity field experience having lost 18 starters from last year .. work in progress for sure. In week 1, they had 20 penalties, 6 sacks, and Castro was running for his life most of the game .. and only lost by 10. Much different situation in week 2 and still much room to improve.
Keep an eye on QB Castro, WRs Hilgers and Kuehn .. very strong trio with great trust and chemistry. These guys will keep Waubonsie on track while offensive line figures things out and defense starts to gel. Offensive line did much better job protecting Castro in week 2 (26-40 for 310 yds) and they will figure out running game over next few games. Defense has been pretty good, but really picked things up in 2d half against Prairie Ridge .. many big plays when needed down the stretch .. and they will build on this.
Unrealistic at this point to expect them to run table, so look for Waubonsie to go 6-3 and be peaking in time for playoffs.
Watch for those Warriors .. big statement game last night against Lake Park. First of all, Lake Park might be the best 1-5 of all time. Look at their tough schedule and scores against very good teams. Then look what Warriors did last night to finish out that game. And it was much closer game than 26-7 score would suggest. Waubonsie was down 7-6 at half time. And the last TD was after Lake Park turned it over on downs on their own 3 yd line with 3 minutes to go.
Cudos to Castro, Hilgers and Kuehn on offense .. amazing how consistently these guys perform. Kuehn (9 catches, 125 yds, 1 TD) and Hilgers ( 8 catches, 80 yards, 2 TDs) have been at the top of WR rankings all year and should stay there after last night. Offensive unit as whole looks very sharp, but injuries to top 2 RBs is not helping that aspect. O-line continues to improve .. got 1 injured starter back last night, with another injured starter due back in next weeks or so.
Big cudos to defense .. they are coming together and had many big stops last night against very strong offense. It seems like they are becoming a very comfortable ad a bend-but-don't-break type defense. Lake Park QB had phenominal game running and passing, but still only managed 7 points.
So Waubonsie sits at 3-3, with what should be 3 easy wins coming up .. Murphy will not let them take anything lightly. Next week heading to Bloom ... no letting up !!!
Well, here we are Warriors !!! Quite a turnaround from first 3 weeks. Schedule certainly got easier, but we beat a couple of good teams, and blew out everyone else.
Here is good baseline point of comparison. We had 5 opponents in common with Bartlett and played against those 5 in our last 6 weeks. Our margin of victory and scores were within a couple points of Bartlett's margin every one of those 5 games. Except for Larkin where we won more easily by 38 points. I know comparative scores aren't good for much .. but we are talking about all 5 opponents in common, not just a couple selected games. If not for record rains and flooding that week 3 against St Charles East (lost 21-0) which clearly gave their vaunted running game (Wes Allen) a big advantage over our passing game and developing o-line.
Anyway, that is all behind us. We move on to Lincolnway East .. noone gives us any chance. Yes, they are very good and have great balance of offense (running and passing) and defense. But they haven't faced a spread offense and certainly have not faced trio like QB Castro and WRs Hilgers and Kuehn. Their conference relies heavily on the run. Not making any predictions against a team that good, other than this .. do NOT be surprised if Waubonsie makes a game of this. This is a much improved team from the first 3 weeks and LWE has not seen a spread offense yet, nor anyone that throws like Castro .. 22 TDs and only 3 interceptions behind a brand new o-line .. and he was the only returning starter on offense.
If the line protects reasonably well, the running backs get a little room, and the defense rises to occasion ... we will compete and we can win this game. We just need to spread them out, mix it up, and make them play our game, not theirs.
If we rise to the occasion, we can win this game and shock the IHSA football world ... Go Warriors !!!!