Falcons come up inches short from a homecoming miracle.

Wheaton North was coming off of a 45-0 lost last week to their cross town rival Wheaton Warrenville South and in the process lost their senior QB Taylor Graham who is Ohio State bound. Many people had written this team off. This week Wheaton North faced off against 5-1 Naperville Central at home during homecoming with Junior QB Reece Butler leading the team. On paper, this looked to be a repeat of last week, but was far from it. The falcons of Wheaton North capitalized on a fumble recovery on the Redhawks 1 yard line and punched in a touchdown a few plays later to take an early 7-0 lead. Late in the 2nd quarter, Falcons QB Reeces Butler hooked up with Richard Finley on a wide receiver screen that turned into a 49 touchdown, made possible by some beautiful cuts by Finley. The Falcons went into halftime leading 14-13 against Naperville Central! Who would have guessed it? The Redhawks received the ball to start the 2nd half and were marching down the field with a 7+ minute drive, when #45 Ryan Coleman picked off Nick Linne with 4:47 left in the 3rd quarter deep into Falcons territory. This play allowed the Falcons to regain the momentum that they had in the 1st half. The Falcons converted the Redhawks turnover into a Touchdown 4 minutes later on a great play-action pass from Butler to his favorite target of the night Richard Finley on a 28 yard strike. However, the Falcons would miss the PAT to take a 20-13 lead heading into the 4th Quarter. On the next possession by the Redhawks, QB Nick Linne was again picked off by #27 Eric Paradise deep in Falcons territory. The Falcons defense was stepping up on homecoming, picking off 2 passes and recovering 2 fumbles. However, on this turnover the Falcons were not able to get any points. The Redhawks would tie the game at 20 with 3:58 left in the 4th quarter on a 15 yard Touchdown pass from Nick Linne to the 2nd TE Chris Levine. The Falcons and Redhawks each had one more possession to win the game in regulation, however neither team was able to. The intensity was building and I could feel it in the press box of Wheaton North. Coaches for both teams and the PA announcers were standing, getting ready for an exciting overtime between these two DuPage Valley teams. Wheaton North won the coin toss and elected to take the ball first. In Illinois High School football, overtimes are similar to college except that each team get a possession from the 10 yard line instead of the 25. On the first play of overtime, Falcons QB Reece Butler attempted to throw a fade route to the corner of the end zone, but it was just of the fingertips of the receiver. On the next play, they gained 2 yards on a run by Jamal Johnson. On 3rd and goal from the 8, Butler attempted another fade route except this time to the left side and overthrew the target. The Falcons had to settle for a 25 yard field goal, to go up 23-20. Naperville Central had 4 downs to at least get a field goal to continue the game. On the first play, Central handed off to #39 for a 5 yard run, setting up 2nd and goal from the 5. The next play was an incomplete pass in the back of the end zone. On 3rd and goal from the 5, QB Nick Linne hit #39 in the flat for a 4 yard pass, coming up inches short of a touchdown to win the game. This set up the biggest play of the game, 4th and goal inches away from the goal line. If the Falcons hold 'em they pull a huge upset. The Redhawks lined up in a goal line formation an attempted a QB sneek, Linne appeared to come up short at 1st, but kept his legs moving and crossed the goal line on a 2nd effort, scoring the game winning touchdown 26-23. The 6-1 Redhawks rushed the field to celebrate as they barely escaped with a victory. Wheaton North played one of the best games of the year, never giving up despite losing their leader. The Falcons fell just inches short of what would have been one of the biggest upsets of the year in the Chicagoland area. Wheaton North should hold their heads high, be proud of their effort Friday night and continue that fight they showed into the last two games of the season.