Westinghouse missed the IHSA playoffs last year and were dropped from the Public League’s top Red division to the second tier this season.
Neither development sat well with the Warriors, who are aiming to reestablish themselves as an upper-level team in the city.
“It definitely put a little chip on our shoulder for sure,” junior two-way standout Ethan Wiley said.
Saturday’s 42-6 romp past Curie at Rockne Stadium was a step in the right direction.
Senior Jaidyn Gandy ran nine times for 132 yards — all in the first half — including touchdowns of one and 50 yards. Wiley had five carries for 35 yards and a score. Bernard Mitchell Jr. also had a 50-yard touchdown run.
Gandy, who also runs track, moved from receiver to running back this season.
“He’s been getting better every week, just working, learning different things,” Westinghouse coach Julius Carter said.
“I love it,” Gandy said of the switch. “Just anything to help the team. I know Coach is going to put me in the best possible position to succeed, and I just trust in that.”
He does have previous experience at running back, so the position is not completely foreign to him.
“We’ve just got to be a football player at the end of the day,” Gandy said.
Meanwhile, Carter said, “Ethan Wiley is probably one of the best players in the Public League. He’s underrated, most definitely.”
Wiley made the All-City team as a sophomore last year.
“He’s a receiver, DB, whatever we need him at,” Carter said. “He can do it all — run the ball, he’s all-around, just an athlete.”
“I definitely feel like I’ve got a lot to prove because there’s a lot of guys out here [who are] getting way more exposed,” Wiley said. “And I know I’m better than them. So yeah, I feel like it’s a lot to prove out here.”
Though they’re still a win shy of their 2025 total, the Warriors (3-1, 1-0) are IHSA playoff-eligible this season under the expanded postseason format. But they still have a lot to play for in the regular season, even as they are missing some key players who are hurt.
“We still want to finish strong,” Carter said. “The goal was to win conference, make the city and state playoffs and just keep things going in the right direction. So even with the injuries, that’s the goal.”
Curie (2-2, 0-1), which was shut out by Lincoln Park last week, also is navigating some injury issues. On Saturday, turnovers were a problem and led to three of Westinghouse’s seven touchdowns.
One bright spot for the Condors was freshman backup quarterback Treyveon Townsend, who had six carries for 33 yards and a TD.
“I knew these were going to be two tests for us, just being that they were in the [top Red] conference last year,” Curie coach Jarve Lewis-Bey said. “But I wasn’t expecting this.
“We knew what they were going to do. They ran the same plays the last three weeks, they ran them this week. We still couldn’t stop them.”