Glenbard East holds off West Chicago

There were enough penalties, turnovers and miscues that might have wrecked a game between two lesser-willed teams.

But Glenbard East and West Chicago kept coming at each other so hard all Friday night that they overcame some mutual sloppiness and put together a tense, hardfought contest.

Visiting Glenbard East won the DuPage Valley Conference game and improved to 3-1 as it prepares to run the gauntlet of both Naperville schools and Glenbard North - with all three games being played in Lombard.

"I always thought we were in control," Glenbard East coach Dennis Lueck said. "But we kept doing things that kept them in it."

West Chicago (0-4, 0-2) scored more than once for the first time the first time this season and took a lead late in the third quarter and was never completely out of the contest.

"Our kids gave it everything they had," West Chicago coach Paul Reinke said. "They just came up short."

Outgained 143-25 in the first half and without a first down to its name, West Chicago still found itself tied 13-13 with the Rams thanks to a pair of touchdowns by its defense.

"You give up two turnovers for scores, that's tough to overcome against anybody," Lueck said. "You only have so many touchdowns in you."

The half went topsy-turvy during a wild four-minute spell of the first half. Glenbard East (3-1, 1-1) led 6-0 at the time thanks to a 3-yard Mathew Clark run in the final minute of the first quarter.

West Chicago tied the game at 6-6 when Matt Matson intercepted a shovel pass and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown with 8:48 left in the first half.

Four Glenbard East offensive plays later, and West Chicago took the lead when Jack Schar intercepted a pass and ran 49 yards to score.

"(The defense) played phenomenal," Reinke said. "They've everything I asked them to do all the time and tonight was no exception."

The Wildcats then had a chance to extend their lead when they recovered an onside kick following Schar's score. But three plays later, West Chicago fumbled back the ball to Glenbard East.

Glenbard East took advantage of that fumble and marched 53 yards on 11 plays and tied the score 13-13 when Lee Skinner caught Jack Merrithey pass as time expired in the half.

West Chicago recovered its second offside kickoff to open the second half, then moved 49 yards and used 7:15 and took the lead on a 28-yard Mike Boegelein field goal.

Glenbard East took the next kickoff and set off on the game-winning drive. The winning score came on the second Merrithey-to-Skinner TD connection, this from 34 yards on fourth-and-8.

"We kept our composure offensively," Lueck said. "They were calm. They felt they could score when they needed to. We had a big comeback win against Lake Park, and it was the same way."