Wheaton Warrenville South senior Clark Jensen has 93 tackles this season and a simple explanation for why he plays linebacker.

"His answer was 'I don't really care. I just want to hit people,'" WW South coach Sean Norris told Shaw Local, recalling Jensen's response in preseason meetings about where he wanted to play. Norris called Jensen physical, relentless and someone who loves contact.

That approach has the Tigers (7-3) heading to Riverside-Brookfield at 7:15 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, for a Class 6A second-round playoff game.

Jensen's 93 tackles include 53 solos, eight for loss and 11 quarterback hurries, according to Shaw Local. He posted 15 tackles in a Week 9 game against Batavia and was named the DuKane Conference's Defensive Team Captain.

In WW South's 38-7 first-round rout of Joliet Catholic on Oct. 30, Jensen added eight more tackles.

The No. 31 jersey

Jensen wears No. 31, a number that carries weight in the WW South program. The late Ron Grego wore it as an All-State linebacker for the Tigers in the 1990s. The jersey has since been passed to standout WW South linebackers, according to Shaw Local.

Jensen said receiving the number over the summer felt like the coaches were placing their trust in him. "My goal is to prove I deserve this number, prove that this defense is special and can go somewhere," he said.

A 1996 Chicago Tribune article described Grego as a 6-foot-3, 220-pound linebacker-fullback who dominated one of the state's best football conferences before a dislocated hip ended his high school career. He later contracted encephalitis from a mosquito bite while vacationing in Florida.

Growth on film

Jensen grew up playing running back. He told Shaw Local he studied film from his junior year and realized he wasn't around the ball enough. He said he worked on his read steps so he could be in position to make tackles across the field.

Norris said Jensen's read steps and ability to cover in the passing game have been an area of growth. Norris called Jensen an aggressive linebacker with good instincts whose leadership has earned the respect of his teammates.

A unit effort

Jensen isn't working alone up front. Junior Zach Turner earned DuKane Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year, and fellow junior Cole Elste helps lead the defensive line.

The Tigers' defense has held five of 10 opponents to seven points or fewer. It held Class 6A top-ranked Geneva to its season-low point total and Batavia to its second-lowest, according to Shaw Local.

Norris credited the defensive line for setting the tone, saying few teams have been able to run on the Tigers and that the unit has freed Jensen to make tackles.

Riverside-Brookfield (9-1) earned its first playoff win since 2015 with a 56-28 victory over Thornwood on Oct. 30, according to the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark. The Bulldogs piled up 557 total yards in that game.

Kickoff Friday is 7:15 p.m. at Riverside-Brookfield.