Like a lot of Public League football teams, Westinghouse needed time to shake off the effects of the pandemic.
“You’ve got to remember you’ve got a lot of parents that didn’t want their kids to be involved in sports, period,” Warriors coach Julius Carter said. “Especially football.
“Our numbers went back up this year. It was to the point we didn’t even have enough helmets to dress everybody at the beginning of the year because our numbers went back up so [much]. So that’s a good thing for the program.”
Westinghouse has quality as well as quantity. Senior Askia Bullie is one of the city’s most productive quarterbacks, and he put up big numbers Saturday in a 46-0 win over Brooks that made the Warriors (5-4) playoff-eligible for the first time since 2017.
Bullie finished 15 of 21 for 251 yards and five TDs.
Two of Bullie’s TD passes went to junior receiver Dewayne Brooks, for 15 and 47 yards. The first originally looked like an interception in the end zone, but Brooks wrestled the ball away from the Brooks defender for a score.
The win was a nice bounceback from last week’s 28-24 loss to Lane that made this one a must-win for the Warriors to qualify for the state playoffs.
“We just want to show what we can do and I think the state [playoffs] will give us a chance to do that,” Bullie said. “I can’t wait.”
Westinghouse will face undefeated Sycamore in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.
Huskies’ late charge
There might not be a better way to head into the playoffs than a dominant road win against a rival. Naperville North pulled that off on Thursday at Naperville Central.
Aidan Gray, a Northwestern recruit, is one of the area’s best players and one of the few elite quarterbacks. He likes what he’s seen from his teammates over the past several weeks.
“Everyone on the team is best friends,” Gray said. “We spend as much time together off the field as we do on the field. So when we’re in these tough games, no one’s getting on each other and we trust each other to do what’s necessary to get ourselves back into it.”
The Huskies wound up with an extremely difficult road in the Class 8A state playoffs. They will host Marist in the first round and undefeated York would be looming in the second round.
Can the Kays bounce back?
Kankakee dropped out of the Super 25 for the first time this season after losing at Crete-Monee in Week 9. The Kays (7-2) kept the game close, but their offense continually shot itself in the foot with penalties in the red zone. Kankakee didn’t score in its only other major test during the regular season, a 2-0 loss to Nazareth.
“There is a lot of stuff we need to fix but I’m confident the kids will bounce back quickly and be ready for the playoffs,” Kankakee coach Derek Hart said.
Kankakee will host Mt. Vernon in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.
Looking ahead
The Class 8A playoff bracket is deceivingly interesting. While nothing as exciting as a Mount Carmel vs. Loyola matchup is possible, even the first round is loaded with quality games. Expect there to be many more close scores than usual. Andrew at Huntley, Bolingbrook at Maine South, Lockport at Glenbard West, Homewood-Flossmoor at Glenbrook South, Marist at Naperville North and Naperville Central at Lyons should all be very competitive.
