The Wheaton Academy Warriors traveled to play the Bulldogs of Riverside Brookfield for the third year in a row. While the previous two year the Warriors suffered tough losses, this year they left victorious, securing a commanding 24-3 victory over the host Bulldogs. Wheaton Academy rode a balanced attack on offense and a dominant defensive effort to win the fifth game of the year, becoming playoff eligible. A win next week would guarantee a playoff berth for the Warriors.
The Warriors and Bulldogs were knotted at a 3-3 tie late in the first half. Jack Ryken had kicked a 25-yard field goal, and the defense was stout all through the first half. Wheaton Academy was able to take a 10-3 lead into halftime thanks to a 20-yard touchdown pass from
Ben Thorson to
Noah Jones.
In the second half, the Warrior defense was strong once again, and Wheaton Academy was able to extend its lead by scoring twice in the fourth quarter on a
Cristian Carstens 6-yard touchdown run and a
Ben Thorson 1-yard touchdown run.
On offense, the Warriors accumulated 359 yards of total offense.
Ben Thorson completed 15 of 21 passes for 205 yards and 1 touchdown.
Cristian Carstens carried the ball 20 times for 105 yards and 1 touchdown.
Justin Hocker was the leading receiver with 6 catches for 79 yards.
Noah Jones also had 3 catches for 78 yards and 1 touchdown.
On defense the Warrior defense held Riverside Brookfield to 80 yards of offense. The leading tackler was
Trevor Donna, with 12 total stops including 2 tackles for loss and 2 sacks.
Jay Callentine also got in on the action with 11 total tackles and an interception.
Next week Wheaton Academy travels to Aurora Christian for the final game of the regular season. Kickoff is at 7:15 PM.
