Nov. 28--Phillips senior defensive tackle Amir Watts added one last memorable play in the closing seconds of Friday's 51-7 victory over Belleville Althoff in the Class 4A state title game -- a Gatorade dousing of Phillips coach Troy McAllister.
Watts and Chris Elmore were key figures in Phillips becoming the first Public League school to win a football state championship.
Friday's blowout win was in stark contrast to last season's 49-28 defeat to Rochester in the 4A title game. The Wildcats allowed 525 yards, including 302 yards passing, to the Rockets in the 4A final last season.
One of the top uncommitted seniors remaining in the state, Watts, a De La Salle transfer, was a disruptive force in the middle of the defensive line for the Wildcats in the title game. The 6-foot-2, 260-pounder had his imprint all over the victory. He collected three sacks among his 5.5 tackles for loss, forced two fumbles and added a 19-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the third quarter.
"(Althoff's) quarterback every couple of plays would say, 'Jeez, is somebody going to stick him?' " Watts said. "He knew it was going to be an all-night (thing)."
Despite senior linebacker Amani Jones, an Iowa recruit, sidelined for the final eight games of the season with a knee injury, the Wildcats' defense finished the season with five shutouts and limited five other opponents to one touchdown.
After allowing Althoff to drive 61 yards on six plays for a touchdown on its first possession, Phillips (14-0) limited the Crusaders to 36 yards in their next eight drives while building a 41-7 lead.
"We just changed up our mentality after the first drive," Elmore said. "We were kind of lacking after the first drive. We knew we had to pick it up, and we did."
The Crusaders (13-1) entered the state final with an offense that averaged 47.8 points per game, scoring 50-plus points five times.
Aside from yielding the early touchdown, Phillips' lone mistake on defense came in the form of a missed opportunity. Junior linebacker Malcolm Fox allowed a potential 50-yard fumble return for a touchdown to slip through his hands before deciding to fall on the football. Phillips junior free safety Dexter Warren stopped a late scoring threat by the Crusaders with an interception.
David Munson had seven tackles for Phillips, and Xavier Nash and Elmore added five apiece.
"We struggled up front," Althoff coach Ken Turner said. "That Watts kid is pretty good. Phillips is probably one of the best defenses we've faced. That Elmore kid was good, too."
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
