Specialization may be the rule in high school sports in general, but not at Westinghouse.
Askia Bullie and Tyler Randall are making a difference in multiple sports for the Warriors. On Saturday, they played starring roles as Westinghouse rolled by neighborhood rival Raby 44-6 to retain the Jackson Classic trophy.
The event is named for former Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson, who served as principal at both schools. The Warriors had never won in the series before last year, when they pulled out a victory in the closing seconds.
They dominated this one behind the dual-threat efforts of Bullie, a junior quarterback, and the running of Randall, a senior back.
Bullie completed 11 of 15 passes with one interception for 149 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran 12 times for 81 yards and two TDs. Randall had 12 carries for 79 yards and two scores for the Warriors, who led 26-0 at halftime.
“This means everything,” Bullie said. “This is the heart and soul of the West Side. So whatever we could do to get the win, we do.”
Bullie did plenty and is a quarterback to watch. He threw for around 260 yards in Westinghouse’s season-opening loss to Oak Forest and is already over 400 yards for the season.
“Sky’s the limit for ‘Ski,’” Westinghouse coach Julius Carter said of Bullie. “I think he’s probably one of the best two-sport athletes in the city that nobody knows about. He’s also the starting point guard [in basketball], all-conference.”
But Bullie is a long way from satisfied.
“I want to get better at my pocket passing and I want to be a more disciplined quarterback,” he said. “My receivers were helping me out today. I want to give all the credit to them, and to my line.”
Matthew Sims had three catches for 56 yards and a TD, and Leavell Windfield Jr. had three catches for 53 yards and a score.
Randall’s running was another key for the Warriors. He’s another two-sport standout, having won Public League and sectional titles as a hurdler last spring.
He’s now 2-1 vs. Raby (the game wasn’t played during the abbreviated pandemic season in spring 2021).
“It’s always been a rivalry between us, the Dr. Jackson Classic,” Randall said. “It’s definitely bragging rights.”
The rivalry winning streak isn’t the only reason for optimism at Westinghouse (1-1), The Warriors had more players than helmets (67) when the season began, forcing Carter to scrounge for extras to solve what he calls “a good problem.”
“The kids worked hard over the offseason, we had a great summer,” Carter said. “They wanted [the rivalry win]. And I thought we still left a lot on the field, so I’m proud of my team.”
Raby (1-1) scored on a pass from Dorian Perry to Jajuan Folks, two senior basketball players who were recruited to rebuild a football program hard-hit by the pandemic.
“We’re just growing to get this program back to where it was a couple years back,” Raiders coach Eric Harris said.
