Fast start leaves Glenbard West smiling
Glenbard West coach Chad Hetlet really likes fast starts by his football team. That’s why he was smiling early and often Saturday afternoon in Glen Ellyn.
Hetlet’s Hilltoppers (5-0, 3-0) recovered an Oak Park fumble on the first play from scrimmage and followed that up with a 33-yard touchdown run by Deon Dumas on the very next play. Just 16 seconds into the contest the Hilltoppers led 7-0 and were off and running to a 49-0 defeat of the Huskies, who came to town with a 3-1 record and a high-scoring attack.
“I love this fast start,” said Hetlet, whose team was missing a few injured starters but still had no trouble dominating Oak Park. “When you kick the ball off and they run one play from scrimmage and you run one play from scrimmage and you’re up 7-0, that’s great.”
On this day Glenbard West didn’t just start great. The Hilltoppers stayed great for four quarters, on both sides of the ball. Junior wideout Luke Domask, playing a bigger role due to injuries, caught TD passes of 49 and 5 yards in the second quarter as the hosts built a 28-0 lead. The defense, meanwhile, stymied potent Huskies tailback Jakari Cammon while recording its first shutout of the season.
“They got a lot of speed over there and I’m really proud of our defense,” Hetlet said after the Hilltoppers held Cammon to 18 yards on 9 carries and the entire Huskies rushing attack to just 35 yards on 26 rushes. “The kids did a great job of assignment defense.”
Linebacker Grant Greeno, who has moved around this season because of his versatility and to help cover for injuries to teammates, played a solid a game at inside backer. Greeno had a sack of Huskies quarterback Lloyd Yates but also played a big role in his team’s great effort against the run.
“Coach always tells us to run to the ball and today we flew to the ball,” Greeno said. “We had some injuries, but we had a good week of practice and then today some other guys stepped up and played well for us.”
On offense a slew of Hilltoppers came up big. Quarterback Henry Haefner was 11 of 13 for 130 yards and his two TDs to Domask. Backup signalcaller Drew Vogg rushed for a pair of scores in the second half, Scott Andrews led the ground attack with 62 yards and a touchdown, and Jermon Kindle-Joyner started the second-half scoring with a dazzling 55-yard reverse run to the end zone for a 35-0 lead.
“This is probably our best all-around game,” Andrews said. “It helps to know that we can play like this every game and now it’s on to Proviso West.”