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With Woolford bearing down, it's a Mundelein victory

It wasn't the first time "Woolford 21" broke perfectly on a thrown football and snatched it in front of a wide receiver.

Long before Aaron Woolford intercepted three passes, one of which the senior safety returned 90 yards for a touchdown, during Mundelein's 29-14 win over host Waukegan on Saturday, Donnell Woolford made a good living doing it. No Bears cornerback had more career interceptions until Charles Tillman surpassed Woolford.

Donnell Woolford, a former first-round pick by the Bears who went to a Pro Bowl, is the older brother of Wayne Woolford (Aaron's dad).

"That's why I have (No.) 21," Woolford said of his uncle, ol' No. 21 for the Bears.

Taking the ball away was something Mundelein did all day at Weiss Field, as the homecoming-spoiling Mustangs improved to 2-3 and 1-2 in the North Suburban Conference, while dropping Waukegan to 1-4 and 0-3. The winners forced 7 turnovers, while committing three themselves. The good news for the Mustangs was, they didn't turn the ball over in the second half.

Woolford nearly had a fourth interception on a deep pass, which fell incomplete, late in the game.

"(The receiver) pulled my face mask down," said Woolford, laughing.

Up 15-14 at halftime thanks to TD runs by Isaiah Wellman (10 yards) and quarterback Anthony Norris (2 yards), Mundelein still led by that margin with Waukegan driving while eating up nearly six minutes on the clock. But on the first play of the fourth quarter, on fourth-and-12 from the Mundelein 29, Woolford intercepted Bulldogs QB Daniel Hill at the 10.

It was Woolford's third pick of the game.

"With anybody else, you want them to knock that down on fourth down," Mustangs coach Larry Calhoun said. "But with him, I'm OK. He makes so many plays. I can't be mad at him, especially when he takes it all the way to the house."

Woolford dodged tacklers, then zigged and zagged down the sideline, picking up blocks along the way.

"I had some running-back moves in there, but I had 5-6 guys blocking," Woolford said. "I was just trying to use my blockers. They were getting in the right positions and taking guys out left and right. Once I got to the last guy, the quarterback, I knew I could outrun him so I just turned the jets on."

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Norris scored on a sneak late in the game for insurance points.

"We just went back to the basics (in the second half) and stuck with it," said Norris, who threw 2 interceptions in the second quarter. "It was definitely working for us. We were staying steady and we were getting the yards we needed to in order to get the 'W.' "

Woolford also rushed 20 times for 91 yards and returned kickoffs.

"Probably one of our best athletes," Norris said. "He just goes out there and does what he does. It's beautiful to see. It's such an advantage to have him on our team."

Abram Nazario's first-quarter interception led to Wellman's touchdown. Jake Vander Ploeg's fumble recovery resulted in Norris' first TD, from 2 yards out, late in the first half. Shane Kosmach and Dane Shultz also recovered fumbles for Mundelein. After Shultz's recovery, Mundelein marched 73 yards on 14 plays, scoring on Norris' 1-yard sneak with 1:54 left.

Waukegan scored on Hill's 3-yard TD run and Hill's corner-end-zone pass to Davion Walker.

Woolford's performance was especially welcomed since the banged-up Mustangs played without four starters: middle linebacker Lucas Zepeda, defensive lineman Andrew Owens, defensive back Nik Fisher and linebacker Sabian Rivera.

"(Woolford) played his tail off," Calhoun said. "Without him, I don't know if the scoreboard looks as good for us."

Images: Waukegan vs. Mundelein football

  Mundelein's Aaron Woolford carries the ball during Saturday's game at Waukegan. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Mundelein's Isaiah Wellman scores a first-quarter touchdown during Saturday's game at Waukegan. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Waukegan's Jalen Bey-Mckie catches a pass while being defended by Mundelein's Isaiah Wellman during Saturday's game at Waukegan. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Mundelein's Sammy Escobar dives over Waukegan's Andre Brown as he picks up yardage during Saturday's game at Waukegan. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Mundelein quarterback Anthony Norris scores a touchdown during the second quarter of Saturday's game at Waukegan. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Waukegan's Jalen Bey-Mckie, right, intercepts a pass intended for Mundelein's Isaiah Wellman during Saturday's game at Waukegan. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  The ball gets away from Mundelein's Sammy Escobar, left, and winds up in the hands of Waukegan's Andre Brown for an interception during Saturday's game at Waukegan. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Mundelein's Sammy Escobar sacks Waukegan quarterback Daniel Hill (12) during Saturday's game at Waukegan. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
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