By
Alan Ferguson
STAFF WRITER
What Urban didn't know was his defense was already loose and ready to deliver with the force of a heavyweight champion's razor-wire uppercut.
With almost equal statistical performances from both offenses, the Redhawks defense zapped what little momentum South mustered on Friday night at Red Grange Field in Wheaton. Central (3-0 overall, 1-0 in the DuPage Valley Conference) forced four turnovers against the Tigers (1-2, 0-1 DVC), including three interceptions, and came up with two stops in the fourth quarter that led to touchdowns in a 38-15 victory in the DVC opener for both teams.
"We came up with some big plays defensively, and if we don't get the turnovers, this score is not this way," Urban said.
After Central quarterback Phil Horvath's pass was intercepted by the Tigers lineman Tyler Trice, Redhawks defensive back Brad Matthew snagged a Dan Brauer pass and raced 59 yards down the near sideline for the game's opening touchdown and his second pickoff returned for a score this season.
"I caught the ball and started running," Matthew said. "I saw one kid and I put my shoulder down. Once I felt him bounce off, I looked back up and saw the field was clear."
On their next possession, the Tigers drove from their own 32-yard line and reached second-and-goal from the Central 10, but Josh Rubin stepped in front of South receiver Brett Adamson to come away with another interception that the Redhawks would convert for a touchdown. Horvath capped an 80-yard drive with a 9-yard scoring pass to a wide-open Curt Benson.
With a 21-8 halftime lead, the Redhawks defense continued its opportunistic ways in the next 24 minutes. With the Tigers at first-and-goal at the Central 9, Matthews recovered a Luke Odom fumble. On South's next possession, John Martin picked off another Brauer pass, which led to Chris Szatko's 21-yard field goal.
During the week, Matthews said the Central defense watched videotape of Brauer and noticed one key flaw in the Tigers quarterback's throwing.
"We noticed the quarterback kind of stared toward the receivers he was throwing to," he said. "I think defensively we did a really good job of reading his eyes and getting to where he was going to throw. We did a good job in practicing of looking at their patterns, so we pretty much knew where he was going to throw."
The Central front seven held the Tigers deep in their own territory in the fourth quarter and took advantage of two shanked punts from South's Joe Young, a replacement for Luka Ulicevic, who struggled in the Tigers' first two games.
"On special teams, we've had breakdowns two weeks in a row," South coach John Thorne said. "We've had trouble with the punting game. We tried a new punter tonight, but it was so windy that it upset him."
Horvath connected with a leaping Tyke Spencer for a 31-yard score, and then 1:37 later, Horvath hit Kyle Griffith for an 18-yard touchdown.
The Central quarterback completed 11 of 18 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns. Spencer caught three passes for 76 yards. The Tigers shut down the running game of Griffith, who gained 61 yards on 22 carries, but Griffith caught four passes for 41 yards. Central fullback Jason Paquette carried seven times for 48 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Despite the three interceptions, Brauer completed 15 of his 28 throws and ended with 168 yards passing. He also rushed for 25 yards. Odom led the Tigers with 81 yards on 17 attempts, and Brett Adamson hauled in eight passes for 74 yards.
"(Central) played well," Thorne said. "They're well-coached, and they're always going to play well. It could have been a close game. It would have been a lot of fun getting in the fourth quarter and have it be real close. But to let things get away like that was frustrating."
For his frustration, Thorne can thank the Redhawks defense.
"The secondary really played outstanding," Central coach Joe Bunge said. "When you intercept the ball three times and you return one for a touchdown, 90 percent of the time you're going to win that football game. That was indicative. We played great pass defense, but it's not just those guys back there. You've got to have that rush to be effective in a pass defense. We had the whole package."
number:5 After passing for just one touchdown in Central's opener against Marian Catholic, Redhawks quarterback Phil Horvath has thrown for five scores in his past two games.number:33 South punter Joe Young's two kicks into a strong fourth-quarter wind traveled a combined 33 yards and allowed Central good field position to set up two touchdowns.number:51 The Central defense has helped the Redhawks score 51 points so far this season. Brad Matthews has two interception returns for touchdowns, including a 59-yarder against the Tigers on Friday night, and Central has converted seven other turnovers into six touchdowns and a field goal.number:198 With the win against Wheaton Warrenville South, Redhawks coach Joe Bunge is two wins away from his 200th career victory. Bunge is 198-55 in his 23rd season overall and 16th with Central, where he has a 135-41 record.
First quarter Naperville Central and Wheaton Warrenville South trade interceptions on their opening possessions, but the Redhawks' Brad Matthews returns his for a 59-yard touchdown in a play that would be indicative of the night ahead. Central leads 7-0. Second quarter Josh Rubin's interception keeps South from scoring, and the Redhawks drive 80 yards as Phil Horvath hit Curt Benson on a 9-yard pass. After a 20-yard punt from South, Jason Paquette punctuates a three-play drive for the Redhawks with a 30-yard run. The Tigers respond on their next chance with a 29-yard scoring pass from Dan Brauer to Thomas Walters, and a botched extra point ends well with a two-point conversion pass from David Lux to Ben Williams. Central leads 21-8. Third quarter The Tigers reach the Redhawks 31 before stalling, and Luka Ulicevic misses a 44-yard field goal. South looks like it's gaining some momentum when Tyler Trice recovers a fumble two plays later and Brauer hits Brett Adamson on an apparent 35-yard touchdown pass. The score, however, is nullified on a false-start penalty, and Matthews recovers a Luke Odom fumble. On the Tigers' next possession, John Martin picks off Brauer for Central's third interception of the night. Central leads 21-8.Fourth quarter Chris Szatko hits a 21-yard field goal when Central stalls on the South 4. Two horrid punts into the wind from South lead to two Horvath touchdown passes, a 31-yarder to Tyke Spencer and a 18-yarder to Kyle Griffith. South adds a late touchdown pass from Brauer to Mark McGoey for 18 yards. Central wins 38-15.
09/09/01