Big plays helps Rolling Meadows past Wheeling
It's too bad one team has to lose in a hard-fought game like this one.
Both Rolling Meadows and Wheeling displayed resiliency and determination in Friday night's Mid-Suburban East contest on the Wildcats' home field. Both could lay claim to deserving a victory.
Rolling Meadows' success with big plays might have made the difference in a 27-17 victory.
The Mustangs' shortest scoring play came on a 28-yard touchdown pass from RJ Mattucci to Jack O'Neill in the second quarter. Mattucci (7-of-13, 218 yards, 3 TD) also connected with O'Neill (5 catches, 127 yards) on a third-quarter touchdown from 31 yards out, and hit Jack Swindells for a 79-yard TD.
Mattucci didn't stop there, totaling 148 rushing yards on 18 carries including a 79-yard touchdown dash with under a minute to play to seal the victory for Rolling Meadows (4-1, 1-0).
"We were just trying to get the first down, and that was it," Mattucci said of his fourth-quarter touchdown run. "I had to follow my blockers, and a hole opened up. And then - touchdown."
The Rolling Meadows defense proved to be equally valuable. In the fourth quarter, before Mattucci's clinching touchdown and with the score at 21-17 in favor of Meadows, the Mustang offense was driving and it looked like they would put the game away by either scoring or running out the clock. That is when Mattucci and running back Antonio Atencio (19 carries, 71 yards) got crossed up on who was supposed to carry the football, and wound up fumbling the ball away to Wheeling (3-2, 0-1).
The Wildcats moved quickly down the field, and quarterback Amani Dennis (178 passing yards, 61 rushing yards) broke free for what looked like a sure go-ahead touchdown - until Rolling Meadows safety Nick Delporte tracked him down at the 15-yard line.
Three plays later, the Wildcats fumbled the ball back to Meadows, and Mattucci sealed the game with his long run.
"I thought the kid was gone," Rolling Meadows coach Matt Mishler said. "Nick Delporte just made an unbelievable effort play, and ended up saving the game, really."
Delporte also had 2 first-half sacks that came on safety blitzes.
"Once we ended up getting the ball back, it was the best feeling in the world," Delporte said of how he felt about the defense's final stop. "It was a little nerve-wracking at first, but we knew we had to stay calm and play our position. That was the best we could do."
Wheeling was not without big plays of its own. Tyler Urban (6 catches, 139 yards) had a 78-yard touchdown reception from Dennis, and Issac Branch ran for 145 yards on 24 carries.
"We would get down there then all of a sudden we'd be moving backward on a holding call or other numerous calls. I think that was a factor," Wheeling coach Brent Pearlman said of a few key Wildcat drives that did not result in touchdowns. "We've got to have more discipline. We've got to be smart down there. We could have easily powered it in, and we hurt ourselves by ad-libbing a little bit."
Pearlman said his team showed great effort on Friday.
"Our kids are resilient, and they'll fight," Pearlman said. "I think there is no question about that."