by: Stephen Davis – Staff Writer

WCA’s varsity football team kicked off a new era in style on Friday August 26th with a rousing 27-14 victory over the Wheaton Christian Academy Warriors from Chicago. The game marked the beginning of the regime of Cory Snyder, head coach, over the Wildcat football program.

New varsity quarterback Jacob Hicks, junior, was instrumental in allowing Snyder’s first game as head coach to be a success. With less than five minutes left to go in the first half and the Wildcats down 14-7, Hicks coolly directed an eighty yard drive which culminated in a touchdown pass to Chris Cacciarelli with one second left in the half. Cacciarelli’s score knotted up the game at 14 points apiece.

In the third quarter, Keith Degler, senior, tackled Wheaton’s punter inside his own one-yard line after a high snap flew over his head. Hicks scored on a quarterback sneak one play later as the Wildcats took a 21-14 lead.

Defensive end Jeremy Hall, senior, recovered a fumble at Wheaton’s 10 yard line later in the third quarter. Two plays later, fullback Forrest Obenhaus, senior, rumbled into the end zone from four yards out, extending the lead to 27-14 after a fumbled hold on the extra point. It was Obenhaus’s second touchdown of the night. Obenhaus finished the game with an impressive 119 yards rushing on 23 carries.

The Wheaton game was Hicks’s first as starting varsity quarterback. The former JV wingback only attempted twelve passes, but completed six of them for 64 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also rushed 6 times for 27 yards and 1 touchdown.

“It’s good being the starting varsity quarterback. Obviously there are lots of expectations and everyone wants to do well in the new offense, but overall it’s been a good experience,” said Hicks.

The Wheaton game was also the first in which the Wildcats ran the Wing-T offense, which features a disciplined and physical power running game with fewer passes.

It became apparent that the Wildcats had embraced the new offense early in the first quarter when Obenhaus ran in his first touchdown, a 10-yard run. During the play, Obenhaus broke two tackles and was sprung through the hole in the Warriors’ defense by physical, hard-nosed blocking, a sight rarely seen in the spread offense the Wildcats had previously run.

Chris Pederson is the team’s new offensive coordinator.

“The transition to the Wing-T offense has gone smoothly in that we have a good plan as an offense week in and week out and even day in and day out. The team has really raised their level and, of course, that’s going to help when it comes to learning this new offense,” said Pederson.

The Wheaton game also marked the first time that the Wildcats played in their new stadium. The football team now enjoys playing on an artificial turf field in a brand-new 2,000 seat stadium with state-of-the-art facilities and a press box. The stadium is widely considered a huge upgrade over the old field by fans and players alike.

“There is an almost incomparable difference between the old stadium and the new stadium. The fan experience at the new stadium is incredible. At times on Friday the atmosphere was almost like that of a college game,” said Mindy Davis, football mom.

While the victory over Wheaton showed that the Wildcats are doing well under the transition they are going through, they know that they have just begun. The team faces more difficult opponents down the road, such as Borgia, Clayton, and Jennings, and must keep improving if they are to be successful in their new beginning.

“We have made good progress so far this year but we still have lots to learn,” said team captain Landon Burke, senior.