Defensive lineman Steve Wesselhoff wears No. 1 for the Brother Rice football team, and there is no doubt he’s No. 1 in the hearts of Crusaders fans after his performance in Friday night’s 21-20 victory over host Hinsdale Central in a Class 8A second round contest.

The Red Devils were up 20-14 and trying to run out the clock when Wesselhoff sacked quarterback John Whitelaw and forced a fumble. Sophomore linebacker Shannon Rogers picked up the loose ball and returned it 15 yards to the Hinsdale Central 4.

Two plays later, Jeremy Rhodes scored on a two-yard run with 1:58 remaining and Sean Noble added the decisive extra point.

‘‘I just knew somebody needed to make a play and it just happened,’’ Wesselhoff said. ‘‘I went between the guard and the center, jumped on the quarterback and the ball happened to pop out.’’

Wesselhoff just happened to be in the right spot earlier in fourth quarter. With 9:05 left, Alex Kirk took a swing pass from Whitelaw nine yards for a touchdown to give the Red Devils (7-4) the lead. But Wesselhoff blocked the extra point.

‘‘We just believed in each other,’’ said Rogers, who has recovered two fumbles this year. ‘‘People made big plays.’’

Hinsdale Central scored first on a 22-yard run by Rich Zajeski in the first quarter, but Brother Rice (9-2) dominated the second period, scoring on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Tom Gibson to Doug Schumacher and a two-yard run by Antoine Hall.

The Red Devils responded with big plays from two sophomores just called up to varsity — Kirk and Jason Rafferty, whose 15-yard reception from Whitelaw tied the game 14-14 with 2:51 left in the third quarter.

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