CHAMPAIGN - With Tuscola quarterback Jud Wienke making a surprise entrance into the Illinois High School Association Class 1A State Football Championship game and throwing a touchdown, the Warriors won their second title in four years Friday, with a 14-7 win over Lexington.

Wienke, the younger brother of former Tuscola star John Wienke, missed most of the season with a collarbone injury from the preseason. But with the Warriors' offense sputtering and the team trailing 7-0, he threw a touchdown pass to tie the game and later handed off to starting quarterback Phillip Meyer for the game-winning touchdown.

"Jud came in and threw the ball well, and Phillip came in and finished it off," Tuscola coach Rick Reinhart said. "No matter what kid we put in this season, they came through for us."

As it had all season, the Warriors' defense dominated. Though Lexington's T.J. Stinde, who broke St. Teresa grad Sean Dunning's single-season marks for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns this season, rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown, Tuscola bottled him up most of the game.

The Minutemen were forced to pass, and Tuscola's Gunnar Edwards picked off three Chris Beard passes.

"Our defense once again came through," Reinhart said. "We had a great plan to stop (Stinde). He was the real deal, but we managed to do a pretty good job against him."

The win was bittersweet for Reinhart, whose mother, Irene, died Nov. 10 during the week leading up to the Warriors' quarterfinal game.

It was Tuscola's third appearance in the title game since 2006. The Warriors were runners-up in 2007. Jud's father, Stan Wienke, was head coach of those teams but is now a volunteer assistant. He left after 2007 to take a coaching and teaching job in Waterloo, Iowa, to be closer to his son, John, who plays at the University of Iowa, but he decided to return to Tuscola after a season.

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