Box Score

WHEATON, Ill. – Sola Olateju accounted for 282 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns Saturday to help 24th-ranked Wheaton defeat Augustana 53-10 on a chilly, overcast afternoon at McCully Stadium. The Thunder improved to 7-2 overall and 5-2 in the CCIW, while the Vikings finish the season at 1-9 overall and 1-7 in the conference.
 
Wheaton received the opening kickoff and started on its own 35-yard line. On the game's first play from scrimmage, sophomore end Daniel Tjaden (Assumption HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) sacked Thunder quarterback Curtis McWilliams. The ball came loose on the play and Augustana sophomore lineman Kyle Connor (Bloomington Central Catholic HS, Bloomington, Ill.) recovered at the Wheaton 29.
 
Three plays netted the Vikings five yards and senior Jacob Stytz (Minooka HS, Channahon, Ill.) came on to give the visitors a 3-0 lead with his 12th field goal of the season—a 41-yarder.
 
On the first play of the ensuing possession, T.J. Williams rushed 72 yards for a touchdown to put the Thunder on top 6-3 at the 13:16 mark of the first quarter. The point after was mishandled, resulting in an incomplete pass attempt.
 
After an Augustana three-and-out, Wheaton drove 58 yards in 11 plays to extend the lead. McWilliams completed four passes for 42 yards, but when he was shaken up, Jesse Furrow came off the bench and connected with tight end Tyler Pace on a seven-yard scoring strike. Stefan Knoerr's kick was good and the hosts led 13-3 midway through the opening period.
 
The Vikings recorded stops on the next three Thunder possessions, including twice on downs, but Wheaton finished the half strong, with three scores in the final 4:10.
 
Knoerr made it 16-3 when he capped an 11-play, 44-yard march with a 22-yard field goal with 4:10 to play before halftime. After an Augustana punt,  Furrow hit Olateju for 67 yards and a touchdown for a 23-3 Thunder lead at the 1:06 mark.
 
Sophomore Antonio Cannon (Oak Park & River Forest HS, Oak Park, Ill.) broke off a 53-yard run to the Wheaton 20 on the Vikings' next possession. However, Luke Smith picked off a pass in the end zone on the next play and the hosts drove 51 yards in six plays, with Knoerr booting a 46-yard field goal at the halftime gun. The Thunder took a 26-3 lead to the locker room.
 
Olateju rushed 76 yards for a touchdown on Wheaton's first play of the second half to make it 33-3. Zach Lindquist (four yards, Olateju (12 yards) and Jerome Grey (eight yards) added rushing touchdowns to make it 53-3 after three periods.
 
On Augustana's next possession, freshman quarterback Alek Jacobs (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) led the Vikings on a 20-play, 81-yard drive. Jacobs had a pair of 14-yard runs and completed four passes for 34 yards, but Cannon was eventually stopped just short of the goal line on fourth-and-goal from the three.
 
A 20-yard punt return by sophomore Griffin Schuster (North Boone HS, Poplar Grove, Ill.), followed by a penalty on the Thunder set up Augustana's only touchdown. On the first play from scrimmage, Jacobs rolled left, reversed field and went in from 13 yards out with 6:34 to play. Stytz's 79th consecutive point after accounted for the final, as Wheaton ran out the remainder of the clock.
 
Cannon finished with 60 yards on seven carries and sophomore Bobby Jarosz (Prospect HS, Mt. Prospect, Ill.) added 59 yards on 16 attempts. Jacobs and junior Luke Bleyer (Williamsville HS, Springfield, Ill.) combined to pass for 75 yards, with junior Ryan Hennessy (Oswego HS, Oswego, Ill.) on the receiving end of four passes for 27 yards.
 
Senior linebacker Danny Giffels (Prairie Ridge HS, Crystal Lake, Ill.) had game highs of seven solo, three assisted and 10 total tackles, along with a pair of pass breakups.