IHSA Class 8A Semi-final match between the visiting East Saint Louis Senior Flyers (Illinois) and the Wheaton Warrenville South Tigers.

Let me set the scene for you. I arrived about an hour and a half before kickoff and the stadium was filled. I spoke with some Wheaton fans before the game that had a sort of swagger in their steps. They knew they were walking away with a victory. But I also spoke to some East St. Louis fans. They are a proud bunch. Jovial and full of energy, they made the 4-hour trek from deep within Illinois to the upper middle class suburb. Proud parents rattled off the jersey numbers of their kids and told me to look out for them. There was even some tailgating and grilling going on in the parking lot from some Wheaton fans. Ahh. High School Football in Late November. Is there anything better?

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With the score sitting at 5 – 0 for Wheaton at halftime, you would think we were in for a close battle the rest of the game. Well, you thought wrong. Wheaton Warrenville South was able to tack on 21 more points in the second half to make it resemble more of a blowout than a close fought barnburner.

In the first half the Flyers dominated almost every statistical category except the score. WWS was held to less than 30 yards of total offense in the 1st 2 quarters and if it wasn’t for a botched punt and a safety the score would have been tied up heading into the break.

But Hey. These guys haven’t gone 38-1 in the last 3 years for no reason. WWS came out the 2nd half with a purpose. Burke, Schuman, and Togami had interceptions that led to some big scores. They were able to put East Saint Louis out of their misery. The Flyers have to be commended for their overall play this season.

But it is what it is and WWS advances to the IHSA 7A Championship game Thanksgiving weekend in Champaign. WWS is now 13-0 a on the season.

Links
Wheaton Warrenville South High School (http://www.wwshs.org/)
East St. Louis Senior High School (http://www.estlouis.stclair.k12.il.us/schools/eastside.htm)
Illinois High School Association (http://www.ihsa.org)

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