IHSA Team Preview: Wendell Phillips Wildcats

Debo Olaleye

August 19, 2021 @ 03:05 PM

The Wendell Phillips Wildcats have been a dominant program out of Chicago that has one state championship, along with only losing 28 games in the last 11 years! In the past year, the Wildcats have had quite the shake up. Going into this fall, Wendell Phillips now has a new head coach in Joe Winslow who served as the offensive coordinator. The school also has a new defensive coordinator, after the tragic passing of Mike Larson who was beloved around the state. This fall, the Wildcats have many talented players returning who have heard that this team will not be the same as the past teams and are vulnerable to giving up the title of Chicago Public School’s most dominant football team. With a 3-1 spring record, and two strong opponents to start the 2021 Fall season, the Wendell Phillips Wildcats have an opportunity to make a statement in Chicago and the rest of the state, that they are here to stay. 2021 Spring Schedule (3-1) 4/3 Westinghouse (46-6) 4/10 Lincoln Park HS (46-0) 4/16 Loyola Academy (0-30) 4/23 Taft HS (26-21) <hr /> Impact Players This Fall: Jahon Walker (CB-2022- 6’1” 209 lb) Jahon’s a corner who plays a lot of his snaps in the boundary and has both great instincts and sideline to sideline pursuit. His press man ability is impressive, and his aggressiveness plays a big part in that. Going into his senior season, we’re sure to see his most confident style of play.   Keontay Taylor (RG-2022- 6’1” 297 lb) Keontay comes back for his senior year to play guard and serve as one of the anchors to the Wildcats offensive line. The senior plays with a great base and good pad level. In his spring season as a junior, Keontay did not allow one sack. It’s fair to say that he will serve as a great teammate and mentor to uplift the rest of the line with other young players who play on the line with him.   Antwon McAdams (ATH- DT/OL-2023- 5’ 11” 300 lb) Antwon is a player who played both ways this spring. His main position is as a NT, but he takes some snaps and has the ability to play along the interior of the offensive line. He’s a strong kid that did a great job bull-rushing on defense and getting to the next level to stick on backers on the offensive side of the ball. This fall, he’s sure to be an impact now being a year older and having some more time in the weight room this summer.   Other Players to Watch: Armani Conway- OLB/RB-2022 Tyler Turner- QB-2022 [player_tooltip player_id="170603" first="Avante" last="Savage"]- WR-2022 [player_tooltip player_id="119098" first="Keeven" last="Blanton"]-DL/OL-2023 [player_tooltip player_id="157234" first="Da’kwan" last="Phillips"]-WR-2023 <hr /> 2021 Fall Schedule 8/27- Batavia HS 9/3- Mt. Carmel HS 9/11-Westinghouse HS 9/17- Taft HS 9/25- Simeon HS 10/9- Lane Tech HS   Games to Watch: Games that you want to see this year for the Wildcats this fall, are the first two games against Batavia HS (8/27) and Mt. Carmel HS (9/3), along with the match-up against Simeon (9/25). The first two games of the season will be must-see football games because they will tell us who the Wendell Phillips Wildcats are. A new coach with a talented offense against out-of-conference powerhouses in 7A and 8A. These games have all the makings of playoff-level games in the first two weeks of the IHSA football season. The game against Simeon will be a game that you want to show up for because this game will be a game that comes with two of Chicago’s best football teams. Simeon got the edge over Phillips and handed them their first and only regular-season loss in the 2019-20 season. There will be no way that the Wildcats have forgotten that loss up until this day. <hr /> For more IHSA team previews, you can follow @prepredzone or prepredzoneIL! To have your team featured for a season preview, recruiting advice, or having players featured in future articles, please DM and follow @_D3BO