No buts about it, Hilltoppers power past York

Maybe it's time to put the Glenbard West "yeah, buts" to bed.

Yeah the Hilltoppers had outscored their first five opponents 210-43, but who did they play? Yeah they have a Division I lineman flanked by more beef, but do they have speed?

The Hilltoppers can puff their chests out a little more after a 48-6 blitz of York on Friday night in Elmhurst. Give Glenbard West grade A in its biggest test to date.

"This is a big step for us," Glenbard West running back Bryant Venson said. "People said we hadn't played anybody yet. We proved people wrong, coming out playing like we did."

The Hilltoppers (6-0, 3-0 West Suburban Silver) hushed a boisterous homecoming crowd with a 28-0 onrush in the first quarter. Venson got things started on Glenbard West's second drive, taking the handoff from Robert Cook on a reverse and going 87 yards to daylight.

Minutes later, Cook eluded a York tackler in the backfield and scooted 58 yards to make it 14-0. The two Glenbard West backs shaked and baked their way to a combined 260 yards rushing in the first half.

"A lot of people underestimate us. They don't think Glenbard West is fast," said Venson, who later had touchdown runs of 43 and 8 yards. "Come watch us play. I guarantee we're faster than you think."

"It was a nightmare," said York coach Bill Lech, whose team dropped to 4-2, 2-2 in the Silver. "They're good. They made us look like we were playing in concrete shoes."

On York's first play from scrimmage after the Cook touchdown, Glenbard West's David McCaffrey picked off Tom Judge and went 65 yards for a score.

"I was just in the right spot," McCaffrey said. "On the return I have to give credit to my teammates. Great blocking. I got touched by one guy. Everything else, they cleaned up."

Matt Hassan's 3-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the first quarter made it 28-0. Even Glenbard West coach Chad Hetlet had to do a double-take at the scoreboard.

"It's still a blur," Hetlet said. "That's a playoff football team we played tonight."

Glenbard West did all this with Notre Dame-bound lineman Chris Watt missing most of the game with a turned ankle suffered early in the first half. Leading receiver Jessie Condie missed the game with an injury.

York quarterback Tom Judge, who had accounted for almost 1,500 yards of total offense in the Dukes' give games, completed just 11 of 25 passes, was intercepted 3 times and sacked 4 times. His 29-yard touchdown pass to Joe Santiago accounted for York's only score.

"Tommy didn't have time to scratch his nose," Lech said, "let alone find an open receiver."