Devils miss conversion, scoring chances in OT loss

September 4, 2008By JEFF DAVIS

The Hinsdale Central football team went for the win.

But Wheaton Warrenville South guessed what was coming, and the Red Devils lost 28-27 in overtime Friday in the season opener in Hinsdale.

Wheaton South took a 28-21 lead in OT on Peter Jarrett's 4-yard run on third down and Nicholas Immekus' extra-point kick. Hinsdale Central answered on its first play in OT on quarterback John Whitelaw's 10-yard touchdown pass to David Banasiak.

The Red Devils went for the two-point conversion and the win, but the left-handed Whitelaw was pressured as he rolled to his right and threw a desperation pass into a pile of players near the line of scrimmage as he was falling down.

"There was no way we weren't going for two," Hinsdale Central coach Mike DiMatteo said. "That decision was made the moment overtime was happening. That's why we called the first play we did. I knew we were going to score on it. And we thought we had the great play for the two-point conversion. They executed."

There was a reason for that.

"It's a play that we thought they were going to do that we saw on tape," Wheaton South coach Ron Muhitch said. "We played zone, we didn't play man, which is probably what they were hoping we were going to do because then (running back Rich Zajeski) would have been open in the flat on the three-receiver side. It allowed a little bit of confusion in the quarterback's mind, made him hold the ball a little bit, then we got a great no play."

Wheaton South rallied from a 21-0 second-quarter deficit to tie the game at 21-21 with 39 seconds left as quarterback Joe Furco (15 of 37, 205 yards), scrambling to get away from a heavy rush along the right sideline, dumped an 8-yard screen TD pass to Jarrett.

Hinsdale Central scored on a 48-yard run by Zajeski (109 yards, 9 carries) and runs of 15 and 9 by Whitelaw (98 yards, 21 carries; 14-for-21 passing, 175 yards), who deked two defenders on the first TD.

"They made tackles (in the second half) when in the first half they weren't, and we were breaking tackles in the first half that we didn't (in the second)," DiMatteo said.

The Red Devils missed two other great scoring chances. After getting a first down at the Wheaton 6 just before halftime, Whitelaw was intercepted after being hit while throwing a third-down pass.

"You can't blow that on the 6-yard line before the half and we did," DiMatteo said. "That was a big, big mistake to make."

Hinsdale Central also had a drive stall at the Wheaton 8 in the third quarter when Whitelaw was held to a 1-yard gain on fourth-and-2. DiMatteo opted not to kick a field goal because of the angle.

Wheaton South, playing without three defensive starters, cut its halftime deficit to 21-7 on Greg McAndrew's 43-yard TD catch and then added Furco's third-quarter TD sneak. Both TDs came on third-down plays as the Tigers converted 9 of 15 third-down opportunities.

"Defensively, once again, with this particular team we can't shut people down on third down for whatever reason," DiMatteo said. "Give credit to them, but our defensive guys played their cans off today."

Linebacker Brendan Sullivan (2 tackles for loss, 2 pass deflections), linemen Pat Clegg (tackle for loss) and Allan Cameron and linebacker Mike Rogowski (interception) led the Red Devils' defense that limited Wheaton South to 41 rushing yards.

Hinsdale Central outgained Wheaton South 406-263 overall.

"This is not Week 9. This is Week 1," DiMatteo said. "I'm very confident in our guys. We'll be just fine."

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