The Willowbrook football team raised its overall season record to 4-3 with its 42-6 victory at Proviso West in a West Suburban Conference crossover game in Hillside on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 3.
The Warriors currently hold a 2-2 record in West Suburban Gold Conference play. Proviso West, which plays in the West Suburban Silver Conference, fell to 1-6 overall with its loss to Willowbrook.
Saturday’s matchup marked the Warriors’ only afternoon game of the regular season. It also marked Willowbrook’s only regular-season contest on a grass field. The Warriors and Panthers played Saturday afternoon’s game under blue skies in pleasant and calm conditions.
After scoring one touchdown in the opening quarter, Willowbrook piled on five touchdowns during the second quarter to taka a 42-0 halftime lead over Proviso West. The two teams played the rest of the game with a running clock.
The Panthers scored their only touchdown of the day on a 99-yard run with about one minute left in the third quarter. Proviso West delivered the long touchdown run moments after intercepting a Willowbrook pass at the 1-yard line.
The Warriors drove 80 yards for a touchdown on their opening offensive drive of the day. Junior Jax Chavez finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. Senior Ben Swanson then made the first of six successful extra-point kicks of the day to give Willowbrook a 7-0 lead with 3:34 left in the first quarter.
Junior Nate Jerkovic, who shared the team’s quarterback duties with junior Niko Vourlos on Saturday, threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to senior Dylan Borkowski with 10:26 remaining in the second quarter to help the Warriors increase their lead to 14-0. A short time later, after Willowbrook junior Carter Holland recovered a fumble at the Panthers’ 38-yard line, Vourlos threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to senior Josiah Marlowe. Swanson’s extra-point kick gave the Warriors a 21-0 lead with 7:37 to play in the second quarter.
Willowbrook sophomore Lucas Stringini scooped up a Proviso West fumble on a punt attempt and raced about 30 yards into the end zone for his team’s fourth touchdown of the day. The ensuing extra-point kick from Swanson pushed the Warriors’ lead to 28-0 with 4:29 left in the first half.
Moments later, senior Christopher Allen of Willowbrook recovered a Proviso West fumble on the kickoff return. Allen made the recovery at the Panthers’ 33-yard line. After Jerkovic and Borkowski connected on a 24-yard pass play, Chavez delivered a 9-yard touchdown run with 4:10 remaining in the opening half. Swanson’s extra-point kick moved the lead to 35-0.
Junior Kamron Greenhow scored the Warriors’ sixth and final touchdown of the afternoon on a 1-yard run with 1:27 left in the first half.
The Warriors’ season continues with this Friday’s conference home contest against Proviso East (1-6 overall and 0-5 in the conference). Willowbrook will conclude its regular season with a conference home game against Addison Trail on Thursday, Oct. 15.
