Warren’s Jeremy Walton is building a reputation for catching everything in his vicinity.
An outfielder in baseball and a defensive end in football, Walton has been a spark for the Blue Devils’ dominant defense this season with his strong and consistent play.
Even the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Walton says his skill set is odd.
“I will play anywhere in the outfield in baseball, which I know is weird because I play on the defensive line,” Walton said. “I run a 4.67 40, so it works.”
Like many of his teammates, Walton nearly made the play of the game in Warren’s Class 8A second-round game against Glenbard North on Saturday, but he couldn’t catch elusive quarterback Justin Bland.
He narrowly missed tackling Bland several times in the final few minutes, and Panthers junior kicker Juan Ramirez drilled a 43-yard field goal with 29.6 seconds left to propel 21st-seeded Glenbard North to a 10-7 victory over fifth-seeded Warren in Carol Stream.
The sudden defeat put an end to the Blue Devils’ quest to return to the state championship game after a second-place finish in 2019. The loss was just the third for Warren (9-2) in 31 games over the past three seasons.
“We played hard tonight, but you can’t take anything away from Glenbard North,” Warren coach Bryan McNulty said. “They just outcompeted us in certain spots. Those kids came out and played. If I had to do something over, I probably wouldn’t have went for it on that fourth down in the first half, which resulted in a touchdown for them. I thought our kids played hard and played their hearts out.
“We’ve got some great players that we’re really going to miss — the seniors, just as people. Jeremy Walton is one of them. He really did a great job and is an awesome person and player.”
Walton nearly forced overtime late in the fourth quarter. But Bland, who completed 10 of 20 passes for 140 yards, eluded him to keep several plays alive and set up the winning kick with a pair of 12-yard completions and a 2-yard run. Glenbard North had recovered a fumble with 1:23 left.
Warren quarterback Aidan Lucero, who passed for 97 yards, was sacked twice and threw an incompletion in the final three plays of the game.
“We’re pretty solid as a defense,” Walton said. “The last drive we gave them too much time to throw it. I almost got the quarterback on the final drive, but he made an impressive move. I’ve never seen a quarterback duck down and spin. Kudos to him. They kept it simple on offense, but they’ve got some weapons.”
Walton recorded 30 tackles, including 10 for loss, in the regular season. He said he gained 20 pounds of “nothing but muscle” for this season.
“I’m looking at a few schools in baseball and football,” he said. “Right now, it’s looking like football for me. It started shifting at the beginning of this football season because I realized I could play, and my excitement for football just grew.”
The Panthers (8-3) relied on a deep and athletic defensive line to limit running back Reese Edwards to 63 yards on 18 carries. The Vanderbilt recruit rushed for 1,380 yards in the regular season but had to settle for a long run of 7 yards. Edwards scored Warren’s only touchdown, a 1-yarder with 2:34 left in regulation to set up a frantic final two-plus minutes.
Another standout for Warren was junior wide receiver/defensive back Cassius Callahan. His leaping 37-yard grab over two defenders led to Edwards’ TD.
“I was just trying to do anything to help us win,” Callahan said. “I practice hard and just followed what my coach said about making aggressive catches when people are on you. This season meant everything to me, my first actual starting year on varsity. I just wanted to take full advantage of every opportunity this year.”
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
