Warren storms past scrappy Mundelein team, 34-20

MUNDELEIN – Something unusual happened Friday night – Mundelein held a two-score lead against Warren in the first quarter. The Mustangs hadn’t scored more than once against the Blue Devils in a game since 2016.

Warren, however, didn’t panic and by halftime led 14-13, and eventually walked away with a 34-20 victory.

“We relied on our toughness and grittiness,” Warren head coach Bryan McNulty said. “Mundelein came out to play. They are a good team and they’re getting better as a program.”

The game was a dogfight until the end. Warren (4-2 overall, 3-1 North Suburban Conference) led by a touchdown with less than two minutes to go. The Mustangs (3-3, 1-3) went deep and Antonio Moore ripped the ball out of a receiver’s hands for an interception.

“That is what broke it for real,” Warren junior running back Aaron Stewart said about the interception. “We were punching them but that is really what ended the game.”

Five plays after the pick, Justice Humphreys scored his second touchdown. On the other end, Anthony Soto ended the game with his second sack of the game.

Early on, Mundelein managed to bottle up Stewart, who entered the game with more than 1,000 yards rushing. Seven of his first 11 carries went for 2 yards or less. But he continued to get the ball and it worked. He finished with 240 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries.

He had six runs of more than 15 yards, including a 43-yard run after Moore’s interception.

“We feel like Aaron is the best in the state,” McNulty said. “There is a reason why. He does stuff like that. He is special.”

Maddux Hermestroff started the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown and Jake Judia added a 43-yard touchdown run to give the Mustangs a 13-0 lead in the first quarter.

Warren scored the next three touchdowns before Hermestroff tied the game at 20 with a 67-yard run.

Stewart countered with a 16-yard touchdown and the Blue Devils’ defense clamped down and Warren left with the victory.

Mundelein is now in a tough spot with three games to go and needing two victories to end a 20-year playoff drought. They face Lake Zurich on the road next week.

“We took a step forward but it wasn’t enough,” Mundelein head coach John Cowhey said. “We are not satisfied. No moral victories. We need to get actual victories. We are going to check the film and keep getting better. We took a step in the right direction. We are going to keep building on that and hopefully our kids realize tonight they belong on a field with everybody.”