Glenbard West trying to meet its own expectations

By most standards a 28-0 playoff football victory brims with success.

Glenbard West standards, however, extend beyond the norm.

Even though the Hilltoppers dominated in a first-round win over Rockford Guilford, coach Chad Hetlet knows his team needs to play better to achieve its ultimate goal of a Class 7A championship.

The top-seeded Hilltoppers (10-0) look to get back on track at 1 p.m. Saturday when they travel to No. 9 Rockton Hononegah (8-2) for a second-round showdown.

"Sometimes you have games like that," Hetlet said of the Guilford victory. "We've got to bounce back."

Most of the frustration came on offense, where Glenbard West struggled to a 7-0 halftime lead. But with multiple options in the running game between Adam Bruere, Pierre Washington-Steel and Steve Jones, and a talented quarterback in Tyler Warden, expect a return to form against Hononegah.

Hetlet noted three fumbled snaps, two fumbled punts and several missed assignments that held back the offense - all correctable mistakes the Hilltoppers focused on this week in practice.

With linebacker Connor Loftus and defensive backs Mike Laning and Tim Hollowed, however, it might not matter. Glenbard West's defense played incredibly against Guilford, allowing 30 total yards in the unit's third shutout of the season.

Hononegah's run-heavy offense rushed for 200 yards in a 26-7 first-round win over St. Charles East as three different backs carried the ball at least 10 times.

Hononegah took advantage of 5 turnovers, mistakes Glenbard West doesn't plan on making. A second straight off week for the Hilltoppers' offense isn't likely.

"We're playing hard, that's not the problem," Hetlet said. "We played unmotivated, and you can't do that. It'll be a quick exit if we play like that again."