Game Preview: Hinsdale South vs. Willowbrook

    The Hinsdale South Hornets played a very strong game last week, but were unable to pick up the win against the Downers Grove South Mustangs, who won by a score of 36-33. Since the Hornets have five wins on the season, they have clinched a spot in the playoffs, but still have a game to get through before getting to that point.

    This week, the Hornets will go on the road and travel to Willowbrook High School to do battle with the Warriors, who are coming into the game after defeating Addison Trail, 42-28. The Hornets, as mentioned earlier, were unable to come up with a win against Downers Grove South, despite very hard playing from the Hornets. This game is going to be tough for the Hornets, not only because it is a tough conference team, but also because of the amount of energy on the Warriors side. Being at home will provide the Warriors with big spark, and the Hornets have to fight around it.

    Last season, the Warriors came into the game with a 0-8 record, while the Hornets held a 4-4 record. The Hornets were able to pull off a 50-22 win over Willowbrook, and fans hope this will continue again this year.

    Both teams are looking a lot better this season, but the game should still be good. The Hornets are 5-3 this season, while the Warriors are 7-2. Both teams are having a “winning” season, but and it is going to be a very close game. The Hornets learned a lot in the last week’s game against Downers Grove South, and they will use that to their advantage this week against Willowbrook.

Keys to the Game:

    The Hornets have been playing excellent football recently, and anybody who has watched their games has seen this. The opposition knows how well the Hornets have been playing as well, and they will fight against the Hornets, and try to shut down their game plan. The Hornets have been playing very smart, and have been keeping the defense on their feet lately, by changing up the plays. If the Hornets keep making the opposition guess as to what is coming next, they will succeed this week.

    According to the scoring stats from Max Preps, the Warriors score most of their points in the first half of the game. In fact, they average 17.7 points in the second quarter alone. Willowbrook also scores an average of 11.7 points in the third quarter. Hinsdale South needs to try to stop Willowbrook in the middle of the game, and strike hard later in the game.

    Last week, we saw many of the of the Hinsdale South players perform very well, and to their highest potential. Amongst these players was quarterback D.J. Deolitsis. So far this season, he is averaging 88.9 passing yards per game, 127.5 rushing yards per game and 13 points per game. Deolitsis is one of the biggest key players on the Hornets, and he will want to lead this team to a win this week. The Hornets want to get this win, and carry their momentum into the playoffs.

Time for Predictions:

    Looking at this game on paper, Willowbrook has the advantage. They come into the game ranked as #154 in the state, while the Hornets are #161 in the state. Looking at rankings, the Warriors are better, but the Hornets can fight to win. The Hornets have a great team this year, and they have overcome obstacles. The Hornets can win, but the Warriors are statistically better.

Game Time:

    This game is scheduled to take place on Friday, Oct. 19 at 7:30 pm. The game will be played at Willowbrook High School in Villa Park, Ill.

Playoff Coverage:

    On Saturday night, the IHSA will pick the pairings for week one of the playoffs. These parings can be seen live on Comcast Sports Net in Chicago. Each division will be picked separately.