Defense picks up Glenbard West in playoff win
If the Glenbard West football team thought a 9-0 record and high seed in the Class 7A playoffs would spook its postseason competition, the Hilltoppers quickly learned that wouldn't be the case Saturday afternoon against Rockford Guilford.
It took the Hilltoppers nearly the entire first half to finally crack the scoreboard, notching the game's first points just five seconds before halftime.
Thankfully for Glenbard West, the defense wreaked havoc on the Vikings, allowing the Hilltoppers to advance to the second round with a 28-0 victory at Addison Trail.
The Hilltoppers (10-0) yielded a paltry 31 yards of offense to Guilford (5-5) while taking 5 turnovers from the Vikings, including a pair of interceptions by senior defensive back Jack Marston.
"We played outstanding," Marston said. "Our (defensive) line got pressure, our secondary was deeper than deepest, and our linebackers contained everything."
Glenbard West surrendered just 2 Vikings first downs all game - both coming on Guilford's initial drive.
"We dominated the line of scrimmage against them, and our linebackers came up hard against the run," Hilltoppers coach Chad Hetlet said. "The secondary did a nice job when they did throw the ball, and we got pressure on their quarterback.
"We didn't play very well on the offensive side of the ball, but thank goodness our defense came to play."
A 47-yard run from senior J.T. Mesch to the Vikings' 22-yard line set up the Hilltoppers' first score of the game. Six plays later Adam Bruere bulldozed his way into the end zone on fourth-and-goal for a 1-yard touchdown.
"That was clutch, because we really needed to get momentum before the half and kind of get a little confidence," Bruere said.
Glenbard West pushed its lead to 14 points four minutes into the third quarter, this time capitalizing off Marston's second interception. Once again the Hilltoppers looked to the ground game, with Pierre Washington-Steel scampering around left end for an 18-yard score.
The undefeated Hilltoppers added a 36-yard touchdown pass and a fumble recovery in the end zone to complete the 28-point victory.
Hetlet hopes his team can clear the mental cobwebs in time to face the 8-2 Rockton Hononegah Indians on Saturday.
"Give Guilford credit. They came off the ball real well, were physical, and kind of punched us in the mouth a little bit," Hetlet said. "Every playoff game is going to be a fight.
"Everybody's got games figured out on paper, but when you got 16- and 17-year-olds in between the lines - records are out the window (and) schemes are out the window."