Defense rises to occasion

The Tigers' Peter Jarret is mobbed by teammates after scoring a touchdown.
(Michael Fryer/For the Sun-Times)

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East St. Louis was bigger, faster, stronger and more athletic than Wheaton Warrenville South. So how in the name of Red Grange’s galloping ghost did the Tigers manage to derail the Flyers 26-0 Saturday in a Class 7A semifinal in Wheaton?

‘‘We knew they had great individual talent and a big-play offense,’’ said linebacker Mark LaBelle, who confessed that he’d rather win another state championship than be valedictorian of his class. ‘‘We had to play to our advantage — speed and discipline.

‘‘We prepared well. We had to do three things — stop their deep threat, contain their quarterback and stop their zone running scheme. We take pride in our team defense and our quickness. Beating Morgan Park last week [24-0], another fast and athletic team, helped us a lot.’’

In registering its third shutout in four playoff games and extending its winning streak to 27 games, WW South (13-0) shut down an East St. Louis offense that was averaging 39 points per game and featured more thoroughbreds than the Kentucky Derby.

La Belle and his defensive mates grabbed East St. Louis by the throat and never let go. In the first half, Sam Burke and Phil Traynor recovered fumbles and Jeff Schuman sacked Flyer quarterback Detchauz Wray for a safety to give WW South a 5-0 halftime edge.

‘‘It was the best game I've ever played,’’ said Schuman, a 6-3, 192-pound junior. ‘‘We had to put pressure on them and keep the quarterback contained. We knew we’d get to him eventually. I had a good feeling in the warmups. I knew I had to step up and make some plays. And I did it.’’

In the second half, Burke, Schuman and Dan Togami had interceptions. All three paved the way for touchdowns as WW South’s offense, limited to only 18 yards in the first half, responded to the defensive unit’s performance and created some excitement of its own.

Mike Piatkowski’s 25-yard pass to Chris Schweighardt an a 14-yarder to Mike Olp set up Chris Jarrett’s 12-yard scoring burst. Later, Piatkowski threw a 10-yard TD pass to Mike Sloboda. And Jarrett broke a 39-yarder to set up Steve Dolatowski's one-yard plunge.

It was quite a turnaround. Piatkowski, 1-of-8 for minus-three yards in the first half, was 5-of-6 for 86 yards in the second half. And Jarrett, subbing for injured Francis Adarkwa, managed only 15 yards in eight carries in the first half but rushed 16 times for 96 yards in the last two periods.

‘‘It was a total team effort,’’ WW South coach Ron Muhitch said. ‘‘Our defense totally dominated and kept us in the game. We had an edge in the kicking game with Dan Conroy [24-yard field goal, long punts, kickoffs into the end zone]. And our offense ran the ball in the second half.’’

But the main storyline was the defense. East St. Louis’ biggest threat came in the third quarter with WW South protecting its 5-0 lead. Wray (8-of-22, 148 yards) completed a 25-yarder to Terry Hawthorne to South’s 14. But Traynor tackled Courtney Molton and Vincent Arterbridge for losses, then pressured Wray into throwing an errant pass that Burke intercepted.

‘‘We knew we could shut them out,’’ Traynor said. ‘‘Our defense is a team effort, not one or two players.’’

‘‘Defense gets you down to the Big Dance in Champaign,’’ Muhitch said. ‘‘Our defense is an emerging story. They were unheralded, even my our staff. Our kids see the plays, swarm to the ball and make plays. They expect to create turnovers — and they got them today.’’