Perfect finish for Glenbard West

Man the fire trucks. The Hilltoppers are coming.

For the first time since 1994 Glenbard West can enjoy riding city finery, a tradition for Hilltoppers football teams that win conference.

Friday night they earned the ride with a 9-0 win over host Hinsdale Central on muddy Harvey Dickinson Field to win the West Suburban Silver.

"I think it's an outstanding thing for us, our school, our football program, where we're at, how hard the kids have worked to get to where they're at," coach Chad Hetlet said.

It's too bad Glenbard West (9-0, 6-0) and Hinsdale Central (7-2, 5-1) had to endure rain and a 45-minute lightning delay and lacked injured stars - Glenbard West lineman Chris Watt, Red Devils back Rich Zajeski.

"Yeah, it was wet, but you can't blame that," said Hinsdale Central quarterback John Whitelaw. "We've practiced in wet, we've played games in wet, so we should know how it's like. But we didn't execute and that's what happens."

Hinsdale Central owned the first quarter but little after that. Glenbard West's defense, led by Pat Loveless, Alex Kummerer, Theo Odom and Connor Loftus, held the Red Devils to 137 yards of offense, about half of what Whitelaw usually accounts for by himself.

The game's sole touchdown capped a 6-play, 88-yard Glenbard West drive. Matt Hassan ran 43 yards to enter Hinsdale turf. Three plays later Robert Cook ran a trap play 21 yards for a touchdown. Tim Hollowed's kick made it 7-0 at 5:35 of the second quarter.

"Our offensive line, they stayed on their feet, they made a really good block. It was wide open to the outside," said Cook, who had 16 carries for 131 yards. Hassan's 61 yards and Bryant Venson's 63 helped Glenbard West run for 268 yards and earn the program's first unbeaten regular season since 1991.

Glenbard West was awarded a 2-point safety on Hinsdale Central's next series when a punt snap went over Whitelaw's head and he wisely tapped the football out of the end zone.

Despite the defense of Hinsdale Central nose tackle Pat Clegg and end Mike Owens, Glenbard West owned second-half time of possession, down to a 15-play, fourth-quarter drive that all but ended it.

"When you're a passing team and you get conditions like this it's not a moot point, it's an issue," said Red Devils coach Mike DiMatteo. "But the reality is, in certain phases of the game they executed better than we did, and they deserved it."