Tigers' defense on the prowl since loss

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Since its 27-9 loss to Maine South in Week 2, Wheaton Warrenville South’s defense has allowed five touchdowns and 34 points in eight games.

Coach Ron Muhitch said his best defensive player is senior cornerback Shane Dierking, whose brother Dan was Sun-Times Player of the Year in 2006 and whose father, Scott, was an All-Stater at West Chicago in 1973 and played nine years in the NFL.

"We have a no-name defensive unit, no superstars, not very big but very quick," said Muhitch, whose team hosts Geneva in 7A Friday.

BEST IN STATE?: Stevenson coach Bill Mitz said running back Mark Weisman, who has rushed 239 times for 1,542 yards and 21 touchdowns for his 10-0 team, and Maine South’s Matt Perez are the two best players in the state.

"I’ve coached 28 years, and Mark’s work ethic is second to none," Mitz said. "He has a burning desire inside of him. He is a leader, and that has rubbed off on our players."

RUNNING THE CLOCK: How good is Crete-Monee? Coach Jerry Verde wonders, too. Is his team as good as its record — it has played to running clocks in six of its last eight games — or is it lack of competition?

What Verde knows for sure is that he has three Division I players — running back/linebacker Greg Barksdale (Wyoming), free safety Dylan McElveen (Wyoming) and 6-7, 300-pound offensive lineman Matt Finnin (Western Michigan). Other standouts are running back Cortez Scott, linebacker Mike Jamieson and defensive end Eddie Tate.

IVY LEAGUERS: Glenbrook South coach Mike Noll can’t say enough good things about 6-1, 225-pound fullback Mike Hirsch, who has rushed 228 times for 1,378 yards and scored 23 touchdowns for the 8-2 Titans.

Hirsch, who scored 33 on his ACT, is committed to Harvard. ‘‘He is the leader of our team. He has great character and work ethic. He raises the level of everyone around him,’’ Noll said.

* Hinsdale Central quarterback John Whitelaw has made an oral commitment to Yale. Whitelaw, who had only one Division I offer (from Toledo), missed his team’s playoff loss to Sandburg with an injury but finished with more than 3,000 yards in total offense.

"The Ivy League has paid the most attention and they saw in me what others are missing. They understand me," said Whitelaw, who has a 5.03 GPA on a 5.0 scale and scored 29 on his ACT.

TRIFECTA: Glenbard South (8-2) wants to improve on last year’s 9-3 finish. Coach Dan Starkey’s team is led by quarterback Trace Wanless, the Western Sun co-MVP on offense who has amassed more than 2,400 yards and 22 TDs, fullback/defensive end Austin Teitsma and receiver/linebacker Nick Slezak, who is the Raiders’ leading receiver and tackler.