Glenbard North and York: It's all about the run game

Glenbard North and York have the same theme heading into tonight's second-round Class 8A playoff football game in Carol Stream.

Stop the run, win the game.

It's more complicated than that, of course, but the bottom line remains the matchup between Panthers junior running back Tyler Doll and York senior Mike McNulty.

"They're pretty good on both sides of the ball, but we know we've got to stop their running game," said Panthers coach Ryan Wilkens, whose 23-0 win over Whitney Young last week was the program's first in the playoffs since 2003. "Defensively, we've played real well the last two weeks. We've got to keep their offense off the field."

Led by defensive lineman Frank Cusumano's 8 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 forced fumble, the 14th-seeded Panthers (6-4) dominated Whitney Young. In the second half they limited the Dolphins to minus-88 yards of offense.

Sixth-seeded York (8-2) also rolled in the first round, pounding Curie 35-12. In both games the running game proved pivotal.

McNulty rushed for 250 yards to give him 1,223 yards on the season. Glenbard North relied on Doll and his 184 rushing yards, which pushed him to 1,104 yards.

York's defense has surged in recent weeks, thanks in part to the immediate impact made by promoted sophomores Erik Westerberg, a linebacker, and Danny Kozich, a safety.

"I think it's two pretty evenly matched teams," said York coach Bill Lech, whose team advanced to the Class 8A semifinals last year. "I think it's going to come down to field position and ball control."

While Doll and McNulty are a given, both teams also have X-factors to lean on. For York it's fellow running back Spencer Ingle, who offers an alternative on the ground behind a big offensive line anchored by Northwestern-bound Neil Deiters.

Six-foot-six Glenbard North quarterback Evan Watkins can open things up with the passing game behind all-DuPage Valley Conference lineman Nick Iossi. Expect receiver-defensive back Matt Ng to figure greatly into any success in the air.

"We're expecting a good game," Lech said. "It's just a matter of if we can control the line of scrimmage offensively, we like our chances."