Ihry, Waubonsie Valley hand WW South fifth loss
Waubonsie Valley's Max Ihry said he does get a little tired playing both ways. But you'd never know it by watching him.
Ihry scored on a 95-yard run on the Warriors' first play from scrimmage and added a 54-yard interception return with less than six minutes remaining as Waubonsie Valley (4-2, 4-2) defeated visiting Wheaton Warrenville South 27-0 in the DuPage Valley Conference.
In between, junior Quaid Lamar Gill scored on a 32-yard interception return and Ihry, who ran for 207 yards, added a 45-yard touchdown run as the Warriors put last week's disappointing loss to Metea Valley in the rearview mirror.
"I think the defense played amazing," Ihry said. "Our defensive line turned it up. I don't know how many sacks we had, but everybody did their job. It wasn't just one guy. The whole team came together."
Lamar Gill's interception came on WW South's first play from scrimmage after the Tigers stopped Waubonsie Valley on downs at their own 23-yard line midway through the third quarter.
"It was kind of lucky," Lamar Gill said. "I was surprised about it. But our line came out and really helped our defense. We stopped the run. We stopped the pass. Overall, we had a good night."
Two minutes later after Waubonsie Valley forced a three-and-out, Ihry busted loose on his 45-yard touchdown run.
"I give a lot of credit to my offensive line for blocking great for me," Ihry said. "I think the offense really came together. Everybody did their job. It was 6-0 at halftime and we realized we had to have a good start in the second half. We came out strong."
Ihry's interception return at the 5:49 mark of the fourth quarter closed the book on WW South.
"Basically, the ball was thrown right to me," Ihry said. "I had a great block by (sophomore linebacker) Josh Dominiak and I just ran it in. It was crazy. That was the first defensive touchdown of my career."
Waubonsie Valley limited WW South to just one first down and 52 total yards in the second half.
"We came to play," Waubonsie Valley coach Paul Murphy said. "Last week we didn't come to play and you saw the result. Tonight we came to play. That was the best our defense looked since Week 2. I thought they played better tonight than any game they played all year."
Meanwhile, Wheaton Warrenville South (1-5, 1-5) lost its fifth straight game and was eliminated from playoff contention for the second time in three years.