Big plays help York advance to second round

Entering its IHSA Class 8A first-round playoff game against visiting Homewood-Flossmoor on Saturday, York knew of the challenges the Vikings presented with their size and speed.

" (H-F) does a lot of great things and is well-coached," York coach Mike Fitzgerald said. "We definitely had to have a great week of preparation."

But thanks to a few timely big plays, the Dukes kept H-F at an arm's length for the majority of the contest to secure a 43-22 victory.

"Honestly, I thought it was the best team effort we've had all season," said York wide receiver Luke Mailander, who amassed 167 yards and three TDs on four catches. "We knew it was going to be a dogfight, but if we played our game, it was going to be hard to beat us."

H-F (5-5) opened things with an 11-play drive that got deep into the York red zone. But the Dukes' defense came up huge on a fourth-and-1 stop from their 7, stuffing Vikings' quarterback Randall McDonald for no gain, creating a turnover on downs.

York (9-1) then marched 93 yards on 9 plays, with Jimmy Connors finishing the drive with a 56-yard touchdown run at the 3:11 mark of the first quarter.

Connors had entered the game to replace starting running back Jake Melion, who briefly left after aggravating a previous injury.

"I said a couple of weeks ago that Jimmy could be an RB1 on most other teams," Mailander said. "It's a gift and a curse that Jake's here and he's behind him, but that was a huge score Jimmy had."

After Brennan Kennedy's 36-yard field goal gave York a 10-0 lead with 4:21 remaining in the first half, H-F appeared to seize momentum when Arthur McKnight (four receptions, 33 yards) returned the ensuing kickoff 82 yards to the house. However, the extra point was missed leaving the score 10-6.

Then, each of the Dukes' next two drives lasted one play. But they were big ones: a 63-yard touchdown pass from Sean Winton (6-of-10, 217 yards) to Mailander, and a 64-yard touchdown run by Melion (19 carries, 118 yards). The outburst gave York a commanding 23-6 halftime lead.

"I thought we did a great job answering the momentum swing," Fitzgerald said. "They had that kickoff (return TD), but we got it right back."

When Mailander nabbed his second TD reception - 29 yards - a little over five minutes into the third quarter, York seemed to have things well in hand.

But H-F kept battling, and drew to within two scores with a 19-yard touchdown pass from McDonald (9-of-14, 94 yards passing; 12 carries, 69 yards, TD rushing) to Jayden Banks, followed by a two-point conversion pass to Carlton Brownfield with 9:19 left in the game.

However, the Dukes doused the Vikings' comeback hopes on their next drive when on 3rd and 14 from the York 23, Winton hit Mailander in stride for a 77-yard score with 8:08 to go.

"A lot of people talk about (H-F's) speed, but I think we've got great team speed and it showed today," Fitzgerald said. "Luke is a heck of a football player."

Later, York backup quarterback Bruno Massel scored on an 11-yard run, and McDonald scored on a 16-yard run and ran in the two-point conversion to account for the final scoring.

York will travel to Western Springs next weekend to meet West Suburban Conference Silver Division rival Lyons Township in a second-round matchup. The Dukes defeated the Lions 24-14 in Week 8 and know getting a second win won't be easy.

"Lyons knows us, we know them," Fitzgerald said. "They're well-coached and a good football team. It's always a battle when you play them."

"It's hard to beat a team twice in a season, especially at (LT)," Mailander said. "We're going to need another good week of preparation and play our game."