Massel keeps moving to lead York to victory against Plainfield North

It’s well-known around York that Bruno Massel has wheels.

York’s senior quarterback ran for four touchdowns last season as a change-of-pace backup to Sean Winton. Massel is also a three-time state qualifier in track, a state medalist last spring in the 400-meter relay clocked at 10.87 seconds in the 100-meter dash.

But Massel also, apparently, can throw it. And he looks more than comfortable now with the keys to York’s offense.

Massel threw for two touchdowns, and ran for a third, in the first half Friday at Plainfield North. York scored touchdowns on all five drives in the first half and went on to a 35-13 nonconference win.

“Last year, Sean, he was a great quarterback, honestly one of the best in school history. I was lucky enough to get in a little bit in the running game and take advantage of that,” Massel said. “I used track to help myself with the running and to keep up the speed wise. Throwing-wise, I threw at Throw it Deep, got on the field with the guys this off-season, made sure everybody was on the same page, same timing. Lots of practice and it’s replicated on the field.”

For his second varsity start, Massel looked like a seasoned pro early.

Massel and the Dukes (2-0) converted three first downs on their first drive that ended with Massel’s 4-yard TD pass to Quinlan Hughes on third and goal. He connected with Simon Kodosky for 40 yards on another third down on York’s second possession, which set up a 9-yard TD pass to 6-foot-7 junior tight end Hunter Stepanich for a 14-0 lead with 2:37 left in the first quarter.

Massel ran for one of two fourth-down conversions on York’s fourth drive that ended with Massel’s 9-yard TD run and a 28-7 lead late in the second quarter.

“Last week, first quarter, had a little jitters first varsity start, but now all the guys were able to settle in, get ready and go have fun out there,” Massel said. “A good running back and a good O-line helps in that once we run it down their throats a little bit it opens up the pass game.”

Massel was 5-for-7 passing for 101 yards, and ran for 35 yards before giving way to Adam Yue after halftime. Henry Duda ran for 169 yards on 29 carries and two TDs, including an 80-yarder.

First-year York coach Don Gelsomino has been impressed by not only Massel’s running but his throwing in the early going.

“I think he’s surprised some people with how well he can throw the ball,” Gelsomino said. “You see Bruno Massel, you can go look, he’s fast. That doesn’t surprise anybody. But when he needs it he makes good throws, he makes good decisions. He’s someone we can rely on. He’s someone that has constantly got better for four years, and it shows.”

And Massel’s run-pass dynamic is tough to contend with, as Gelsomino knows as a former defensive coordinator.

“When you start watching film of that, I know, there are plenty of teams in our conference that do it, you’re like what are we going to take away,” Gelsomino said. “It starts becoming tough because there’s only so much you can do as a defense.”

Justus Byrd was 15-for-29 passing for 172 yards for Plainfield North (0-2), Omar Coleman catching eight of those passes for 126 yards. Coleman’s 50-yard TD catch-and-run got the Tigers on the board on the first play of the second quarter. On the next play from scrimmage, Duda broke off his 80-yard TD run.

York had 274 yards of offense in the first half, 173 rushing.

“We couldn’t stop their run,” Tigers coach Anthony Imbordino said. “Our run defense was poor this week, and poor last week. That will obviously be an emphasis going forward.”

Malik Jassim added a 7-yard TD run in the fourth quarter for Plainfield North, 0-2 for the second straight season. Last year, the Tigers came back to make the playoffs at 4-5.

“We’ve got to get better,” Imbordino said. “Hopefully it’s not as tight as last year.”

York forced three turnovers, two coming on interceptions by Jimmy Conners and Aidan Link. Gelsomino would like to see his team bottle its performance from the first half Friday and the second half of Week 1′s win over Glenbrook South.

“Last week we started a little slow, finish strong, this week the opposite,” Gelsomino said. “We all believe we can be a really good football team. Definitely got a little work to do, but when we’re on all cylinders it feels good.”