The Joliet West Tigers currently boast a 7-1 record and have successfully clinched a spot in the IHSA football playoff.
With a talented group of juniors rounded out by a dominant senior lead group, the Tigers have outscored their opponents by 80 points this season, but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the tigers. In a tough week two matchup, the Tigers led by senior Quarterback Juan Rico took their talents down to Morris for a battle with the Redskins. Morris’ rushing attack had their way with the banged up Tiger defense and rushed for over two-hundred and fifty yards, stunning the Tigers, beating them with a score of 50-20.
As an athlete, it’s tough to bounce back after such a rough week especially early in the season but that’s what separates good teams from great teams. The ability to learn from a loss allows these teams to build off of failure and bounce back in ways nobody expects them to. When asking senior Linebacker Matt Marchiniak what practice felt like the week following the tough loss he said that “there was definitely a different mindset, the team was more fired up than ever” and that the team “had to refocus on the little things, put that game in the past and work one game at a time, it’s a long season and every week matters.”
The Tigers followed this strong week of practice into a tough battle against the Yorkville Foxes. Through the first few quarters of the contest, the Tigers offense was slow to wake up but due to a crucial touchdown catch from senior Tight-end Parker Schwarting, the Tigers began to get things rolling. Late in the game senior Defensive back Cael Karczewski intercepted Yorkville’s quarterback giving the Tigers a chance to march down the field and win the game. This turnover from the Tiger defense was the eventual game clinching play as the offense drove down field and kicked the game winning field goal. Cael Karczewski said this interception “helped swing the momentum back to us.” This interception “felt great” for Karczewski “it gave the offense a boost of confidence and allowed Adrian to go down and kick the game winning field goal.”
The hard work and preparation the Tigers put in the offseason is really helping them rally together this season and is one of the main reasons they have already sealed this coveted playoff berth.
With the playoffs coming up, Joliet West looks to stay hot and pull off an underdog story, shaking up the IHSA football playoff. A win this week on Friday, October 20th, would secure a home playoff game for the Tigers and would be the first ever playoff game won by West football.