by Roy Taylor, Sun Correspondent

Prior to their conference showdown with Glenbard North Friday night, Wheaton Warrenville South coaches told their players that whichever team won the turnover battle would emerge victorious.

True indeed. Glenbard North threw two interceptions but recovered two of its own fumbles and picked off South three times in a 14-10 victory.

W W South (5-3, 4-2 DuPage Valley Conference) controlled the game in the first half, but could not take advantage of the many opportunities North (7-1, 5-) gave it to put the game out of reach.

Leading 10-0 with just over a minute remaining until halftime, the Tigers gave up a 70-yard touchdown pass to make the score 10-7 at the break. The Panthers defense stiffened in the second half, holding the Tigers scoreless while running back Matt Smith controlled the clock to seal the win. Smith finished the game with 94 yards on 26 carries and the winning touchdown with a 5-yard run.

“The play of the game was that pass before halftime,” South coach Ron Muhitch said. “I thought we outplayed them completely in the first half. One play, they go the length of the field and get on the board. They hadn't done a whole lot in the first half, and it’s a shame because I feel our kids played their hearts out before halftime.”

The Tigers took advantage of Glenbard North’s first turnover on the Panthers’ opening drive. With first-and-10 from the 50, Panthers quarterback Dan Volpe was intercepted by Kevin Kruse, giving Wheaton Warrenville South the ball at their own 24.

On the Tigers’ first play, running back Tywon Green made a highlight reel play., taking a handoff out of the I formation, running straight into a wall of Panther defenders, then spinning and turning on his speed up the left sideline. What looked to be a sure loss turned into a 19-yard gain for the senior running back.

The drive, however, ultimately ended on North’s 18, where Todd Snyder converted a 35-yard field goal.

North gave the Tigers another opportunity to convert turnovers to points on its next possession. The Panthers started their drive on their own 43, and drove to South’s 41, where on third-and-9 Volpe was intercepted for the second time, this one taken by free safety Sam Young.

Young returned the ball to his own 29, but was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after he spiked the ball following the pick. Instead of taking over on their 29, the Tigers were backed up at their own 14. The Tigers did convert two first downs on the drive, but were forced to punt from their own 49.

South took advantage of the final opportunity given to them with 4:17 remaining in the second quarter. Glenbard North had started a drive on their 45-yard line, and the Tigers defense rose to the occasion. On third-and-5 from the 50, Joshua Anderson sacked quarterback Joe Gudella, and on the ensuing fourth down, North’s punt traveled only 17 yards.

The short punt gave the Tigers the ball 59 yards shy of the endzone, and seven plays later they scored a touchdown on a five-yard pass from quarterback Nick Panno to split end Matthew Stevens. The drive featured a 28-yard run by Green, and the score put Wheaton Warrenville South up 10-0 just before halftime.

To that point in the game, the Tigers had held the Glenbard North offense to two first downs and zero points, that’s the point where the Tigers’ fortunes took a turn for the worse.

After returning the kickoff to their 22, the Panthers looked as if they would run the clock out. But on second and two from the North 30, Gudella threw a perfect pass on a deep post pattern to Ed Zepper. Zepper dashed to the end zone on the 70-yard play, and in less than a minute the Panthers were back in the game.

In the third quarter, the two teams traded punts until Glenbard North took over with 7:12 remaining and the ball on its 26. During what was surely a frustrating drive for the South coaches and players, the Tigers defense forced four third-down situations, only to have each converted by the Panthers. The result was a 4-yard touchdown run by Matt Smith to put North in front for good.

The drive covered 74 yards and took 7:35 off the clock.

A sack of Panno by Glenbard North’s Joey Binkley ended the Tigers’ next drive, but with 5:49 remaining in the game South had two more chances to win. First, the Tigers started on their own 13 and advanced to the Panther 42, thanks in part to a pass interference penalty on safety Ryan Sieckman. The Panthers defender would atone for his mistake five plays later when he grabbed Panno’s second interception of the contest.

The Tigers defense then forced North to punt, and South got the ball back with 1:19 remaining and 63 yards separating it from a winning touchdown. The drive started with a 13-yard gain, but would go no farther. Panno was sacked by Dan Leuze, then threw an incompletion. On third-and-17, Sieckman tipped Panno’s pass intended for Dustin Stewart, and Panther linebacker Bob Wiley intercepted it. Panno’s third interception of the night sealed the Tigers’ fate, and North ran out the clock.

The Panthers blitzed relentlessly throughout the night, but both coaches agreed it wasn’t the deciding factor in the game.

“We thought we did a pretty good job in picking up the blitz. It didn't hurt us until the very end, when we had a guy go right by our tackle,” Muhtich said, referring to the late sack by Leuze.

“Opposing offenses are used to us putting a lot of pressure on them, but they've reacted well and risen to the occasion,” North coach Dale Evans said.

While the Tigers are satisfied with their position, it looks like they will fall short of a goal after the loss to Glenbard North.

“We're in the playoffs-we think, but we wanted to win a (conference) title,” Muhtich said. “Beating this team would have been a huge step for us, and a huge step for the confidence of this club going into the postseason. Now we have to regroup. We have a tough game left in Naperville Central. Because we’ve now lost two big games on our home field (to the Panthers and Wheaton North), we have to learn to play tougher here.”