Yoshino, Wheeling top Mundelein

Wheeling sophomore slot receiver Sam Yoshino was listed as jersey No. 20 on a football roster Friday night.

Wrong.

He wears No. 2.

His performance in Wheeling’s 29-20 defeat of host Mundelein in a season opener?

Too good.

Yoshino, in his varsity debut, caught 6 passes for 80 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown to cap a clock-gobbling 99-yard drive in the third quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, the 5-foot-10, 175-pounder recovered a Mustangs muff, giving the visitors the ball at Mundelein’s 31-yard line.

“He was all over the place, wasn’t he?” said Wildcats senior quarterback Tyler Brady (11-of-17, 178 yards, 2 TDs; 16 rushes, 72 yards, TD). “He’s unbelievable, so talented.”

Yoshino’s TD grab put Wheeling (1-0) up 20-14; his older brother, junior Michael Yoshino, then connected with senior Kevin Gross for a 2-point conversion.

Shortly after Sam Yoshino pounced on Mundelein’s kickoff miscue – on the very next play, to be exact – Brady found senior slot Leo Giordano for a 31-yard TD.

Giordano booted the extra point and, just like that, it was 29-14.

“Sam … he did very well tonight, did what we expected,” said Wheeling coach Dave Dunbar, whose club won its final two games last fall to finish 3-6. “A tough kid.

“And it was easy – very easy – putting him on varsity,” he added.

Wildcats senior running back Ed Scanlon (19 carries, 97 yards, TD) ran hard all night. His biggest run was a 25-yard burst up the middle – on a second-and-long from Wheeling’s 1-yard line early in the third quarter.

“That was the key play tonight, no question,” Dunbar said.

Wheeling then kept the ball, seemingly forever.

Mundelein didn’t take its first snap in the second half until the 2:14 mark of the third quarter.

“That hurt us … that (99-yard) drive,” said Mundelein coach Bob Stone.

So did an interception by Wheeling senior Curt Gaynor at 5:30 of the fourth quarter.

Mustangs senior running back L.D. Frison was “T.D.” Frison, tallying TD runs of 85, 2 and 29 yards. He finished with 115 yards on 7 carries.

“He’s not just quick,” said Stone. “He also showed some toughness, some strength.”