Aidan McClure knew St. Charles North had to protect its home field.
A fast start in its DuKane Conference opener against Wheaton North would surely help that cause.
Already ahead by two scores, McClure intercepted a pass and scampered 32 yards untouched into the end zone to help the North Stars pull away early in a decisive 31-14 win over the Falcons.
“That was a huge play, but this was a team [win],” said McClure, who also forced a fumble and recovered it in the first half. “We knew we had to come out fast to beat them. This is a very good conference, and that’s a very good Wheaton North team.
“The hot start really gave us momentum in the first half.”
After losing to Wheaton North the last two seasons, St. Charles North (3-0, 1-0) left no doubt Friday, taking a 21-0 lead into the halftime break.
Quarterback Ethan Plumb ran for a touchdown and threw another to wide receiver Braden Harms — the first of the duo’s two connections for a score on the night.
“Start fast, finish strong,” St. Charles North coach Rob Pomazak said. “We’ve talked about that a lot, and I’m really proud of the way the kids came out and competed. I have to look at some things to put us in better spots in certain situations moving forward, but we’re sitting here at 3-0, and we’re pretty happy about that.”
Plumb, who completed 15 of 24 pass attempts for 131 yards, hooked up with Harms for a 7-yard score on the opening drive of the second half to wipe away any hopes of the Wheaton North comeback.
From that moment on, the North Stars relied heavily on their rushing attack and defense to close the victory.
Joell Holloman finished with a game-high 130 yards on the ground and picked up another 46 yards receiving, while Plumb rushed for 80 yards of his own. Twenty of the 32 plays run by the North Stars after halftime were runs.
“We just honestly saw something that worked and kept going to it,” said Holloway, who also finished with a team-high 5 receptions for 46 yards receiving. “I feel like with our [offensive line] blocking the way it did tonight, if I can get in the open field and make a man miss, it’s go time from there.”
Despite having run more offensive plays than the North Stars, Wheaton North was outgained in the rushing attack 210-134. Max Serbick led the way offensively for the Falcons (2-1, 0-1), carrying the ball 26 times for 104 yards.
“[St. Charles North] does a great job. They space you out and have good athletes all over the field,” Wheaton North coach Joe Wardynski said. “I didn’t think we did a very good job tackling tonight. There were a lot of yards after contact, which is something we have to improve on, but you have to give [St. Charles North] a lot of credit. They did that to us.”
The Falcons tried to make things interesting when quarterback Nick Johnson found Tyler Kading over the top of the North Stars’ defense for a 70-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 28-14 with 8:42 remaining. That score followed a Dylan Jung 3-yard touchdown to get the Falcons on the board. Kading finished the night with a game-high 123 yards receiving.
But Holloway and Plumb put the game away driving down the field to set up a Lucas Tenbrock 28-yard field goal on a drive that spanned 5:41.
“It’s a huge momentum boost for us to start 3-0,” McClure said. “It’s kind of like a catalyst getting us into Week 4. We know Batavia is on deck, a state contender every year, and they’re always a hard team to play against.
“We have to prepare as well as we can and come ready to play.”
St. Charles North’s Joell Holloman runs the ball during a game against Wheaton North Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 at St. Charles North.
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St. Charles North’s Joell Holloman runs the ball during a game against Wheaton North Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 at St. Charles North.
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Wheaton North’s Nik Schaafsma (right) picks up a fumble from St. Charles North quarterback Ethan Plumb during a game Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 at St. Charles North.
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St. Charles North quarterback Ethan Plumb keeps the ball during a game Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 against Wheaton North at St. Charles North.
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St. Charles North’s Wyatt Brandt (left) takes down Wheaton North’s Max Serbick during a game Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 at St. Charles North.
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Wheaton North quarterback Nick Johnson throws the ball during a game Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 at St. Charles North.
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Wheaton North’s Tyler Kading fumbles the ball during a game Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 at St. Charles North.
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Wheaton North’s Max Serbick runs the ball during a game Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 at St. Charles North.
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Wheaton North’ David Hyde (left) is stripped of the ball by St. Charles North’s Aidan McClure during a game Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 at St. Charles North.
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St. Charles North quarterback Ethan Plumb throws the ball during a game against Wheaton North Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 at St. Charles North.
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St. Charles North’s Aidan McClure runst the ball for a touchdown after an interception during a game against Wheaton North Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 at St. Charles North.
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