In a game where Plano made some big plays, Sandwich’s senior running back had an even bigger night.
Wyatt Gregory ran for more than half of the 303 rushing yards that gave the Indians everything they needed to beat the Reapers 27-20 in the 115th edition of one of the state’s most storied high school rivalries.
Chase Clark was the lead workhorse for Sandwich (2-1, 1-0 Kishwaukee River Conference), rushing 22 times for 108 yards and a touchdown. But Gregory wasn’t far behind.
After piling up 259 yards and scoring twice last week, he ran 15 times for 165 yards and two touchdowns — including a 61-yard score on his first carry.
And he did all that while battling through the hot, humid conditions that forced other schools across the region to postpone or reschedule their games.
“I had to keep coming off the sideline. I was feeling overheated and sick,” said Gregory, who also led the defense with six tackles. “But no matter what, I wanted to keep going out there for my teammates, and I knew we could beat Plano.”
Just as Gregory broke things open for the Indians, he also finished them.
After helping the defense make a fourth down stop with two minutes left, Gregory picked up two first downs to seal Sandwich’s fourth straight win over Plano (0-3, 0-1 KRC).
As Indians coach Jason VanPelt reflected on the win, he remembered the words of his late mentor, former Sandwich principal Gil Morrison, who passed in 2017.
“Any time we beat Plano, he’d always say, ‘it’s good to beat Plano,’ and happy to do that for him … it’s very special for us to do that,” VanPelt said. “Very happy for our guys. It’s a good win for our guys.”
Sandwich started the game with a fourth down stop in the red zone, setting up the offense at its own 8-yard line.
A few plays later, Gregory popped out of the dogpile and sprinted for the first score of the night.
“They’ve been talking about me all week, saying I’m not going to do nothing,” Gregory said. “First time I get the ball, I just run all the way down the field on them. I was so stoked.”
Plano answered on the first play of the second quarter with Brenton Gsell’s 58-yard punt return touchdown. The Indians pulled back ahead with junior Landon Coleman’s 6-yard TD run, followed by a missed extra point, to make it 13-7.
The Reapers had a chance to take the lead right before halftime. Braylon Schmidt connected with Ethan Taxis for a 31-yard gain to set up an 8-yard TD pass to Finley Winter with one second left.
After connecting with @ethantaxis3 for a 31-yard gain, Braylon Schmidt links up with Fin Winter for a 8-yard @PlanoReapers score right before halftime.
However, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty leads to a missed XP. It’s a 13-13 tie between Plano and Sandwich at the halfway po pic.twitter.com/MxMRWpU91p
— Friday Night Drive – Shaw Local (@FNDrive) September 5, 2026
But an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty led to a missed extra point, keeping the game knotted at 13.
Plano finished with 10 penalties for 100 yards, while Sandwich had seven for 74 yards.
“We go back and continue to find the mistakes,” Plano coach Kyle Tutt said. “Consistent execution is something we’ve talked about, and it’s not like we’re getting blown out of games. We’re right there.”
Gregory found pay dirt again midway through the third quarter on a 2-yard run, with a failed two-point conversion run making a six-point difference.
Clark later scored on a 3-yard plunge and QB Cash White called his own number with a two-point play to go up 27-13 with 11:32 left.
That score only held for 25 seconds though, as Taxis caught a pass from Schmidt and scurried downfield for a 64-yard catch-and-run score.
“We just didn’t wrap up our tackle,” White said. “We knew that shouldn’t have happened. We came up big that next defensive series, didn’t let him do that again.”
White only attempted two passes, completing neither. Schmidt was 5-of-11 passing for 64 yards, two TDs and an interception. Taxis led the game with three catches for 83 yards and a TD.
After stopping Sandwich late, Plano attempted a game-tying drive. The Reapers picked up just two yards on three plays before White stopped Cooper Beaty in his tracks on fourth down.
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“I thought we did what we wanted,” Tutt said. “We got in fourth-and-3, we knew we were in four-down territory, and you’ve got to give credit to them making a play on that play.”
Sandwich ran off the remaining time to seal their 59th win in the series.
It’ll also be the Indians’ last before departing next year for the Illinois Central Eight Conference, where they’re expected to play a closed nine-game schedule.
Though the uncertain future of the “War on 34″ brings mixed emotions, Sandwich will enjoy pressing pause while sitting in the win column.
“It feels relieving,” Gregory said. “It’s sad that it’s over, but I’m glad that we won, and part of me is happy it’s over.”