Marli Smrz’s two-way play punches Willowbrook’s ticket home to play in first IHSA flag football state finals

STREAMWOOD – Second-seeded Willowbrook’s girls flag football team made the trek back to Streamwood High School for Wednesday’s sectional final after having gotten past District 88 rival Addison Trail in Tuesday’s second sectional semifinal.

Awaiting them was a West Aurora squad that defeated them two weeks ago in regular season play. The No. 8 seeded Blackhawks came into the game riding an eight-game winning streak that also featured wins over sectional top-seed Maine West in the regional final and No. 4 Schaumburg in Tuesday’s sectional semi.

With a ticket to a Friday state quarterfinal match at the Warriors’ home field on their Villa Park campus on the line, Willowbrook brought a mindset of making sure that they would be playing on their home turf as opposed to being finals host. The Warriors earned their ticket to those finals by pitching a 16-0 shutout at Millennium Field Wednesday evening avenging that loss to West Aurora in the process.

The Warriors (21-5) will face Chicago Whitney Young in Friday night’s 7 p.m. quarterfinal. The Dolphins (17-6) bested fellow CPS member King (15-3) 24-6 in their own sectional that was played at Rockne Stadium on Chicago’s West Side Wednesday evening.

“I think until not recently (that) we haven’t played like we have a target on our back like we’re the team to beat,” Willowbrook coach Rachel Karos said.

“Two weeks ago we lost to West Aurora. Definitely a much improved team. Pretty much from midseason on (every game) has been a tough battle. We did not take the easy path. We played a lot of tough teams this year with the purpose of coming here (and) playing our best ball.”

The difference-maker for Willowbrook came in the form of junior Marli Smrz whose dominant performance on both sides of the ball gave them the edge they needed to advance past the Blackhawks (13-4).

As a defensive back the first of her four interceptions off of West Aurora QB Gracie Del Toro laid the foundation for the first of her two TD tosses to Nani Gusman.

That completed an 8-play, 66-yard march to paydirt with 9:15 left in the first half which coupled with the subsequent two-point conversion pass to Jada Langston put the Warriors ahead 8-0 which they took into halftime.

“We were right there (on defense) in the end zone. I was so locked in and I just watched the quarterback’s eyes with my eyes and I just saw that she was going to the right (with the pass) and I just jumped right in front of it and took it,” Smrz said of her first interception.

Her third pick of Del Toro (13 of 23 passing for 119 yards) on West’s first possession of half number two would pay dividends. She quarterbacked them on another 8-play scoring drive that went 92 yards as she found Liz Pettinger for her second TD of the evening (7 yards) and McKenzie Edison for the two-point conversion and a 16-0 lead with 10:08 left.

Her fourth interception with a minute remaining put the cap on a performance that saw her go 18 for 29 for 196 yards under center for the Warriors.

West Aurora coach Jordyn McFarlane praised her first-year squad that was selected back in mid-August for its maiden voyage.

“To be in the Sweet 16, to be regional champs with this group of kids (we’re graduating three seniors), the future is so bright and I couldn’t be more proud,” McFarlane said.

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