Glenbard East notches fourth win
It's been a season of firsts for Glenbard East.
The Rams opened their 2015 schedule winning three consecutive games, earning their first 3-0 start since 1999. On Friday Glenbard East reached the four-victory mark for the first time since 2009 after beating West Chicago 44-14. With the win the Rams improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in - yes - their first season in the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division.
But with dangerous opponents like South Elgin, Geneva, West Aurora and Bartlett awaiting Glenbard East to close out the season, coach John Walters knows that a playoff berth is far from guaranteed.
"We have some great opponents coming up on the schedule," Walters said. "With a tough schedule in the second half of the season starting with South Elgin for homecoming, we don't want to look ahead."
The Rams seemed to heed Walters' advice from the opening kickoff at West Chicago (1-4, 0-2). After recovering an onside kick, Glenbard East took advantage of favorable field position, driving 56 yards in eight plays, capped by an 8-yard touchdown run by quarterback Phil Abruzino for a 7-0 lead.
After forcing West Chicago into a three and out, Glenbard East's offense enjoyed favorable field position again thanks to a 40-yard punt return by Karon Keyes to the Wildcats' 29-yard line. Six plays later, Abruzino connected with wideout Travis Lyles for a 4-yard touchdown pass and a 14-0 edge.
West Chicago looked poised to cut Glenbard East's lead in half on its next possession, driving to the Rams' 23-yard line on a 36-yard quarterback keeper by Zachary Stefan on fourth and 1. But Conor Glennon intercepted a pass on fourth down, returning it 84 yards to the Wildcats' 8-yard line. Devonta Owens then punched the ball in from the 1 for a 21-0 lead just before the first quarter ended.
"Getting good field position tonight was a key," Walters said. "We had a lot of plus field position to work with, which led to some quick early scores. We did a good job of taking advantage of some short field situations."
The Rams continued to expand their lead in the second quarter, tacking on a safety, a 4-yard TD pass from Abruzino to Joey Moore and another 1-yard plunge by Owens with :05 remaining in the first half for a 37-0 cushion.
"John has a done a nice job over there," West Chicago coach Ted Monken said. "They have talented kids who are well-prepared. They're in a position as a program where we know we can be if our players commit to hitting the weight room in the off-season."
After being outscored 166-8 so far in the first half of their first five games, it would have been tempting for the Wildcats to quit after intermission. But instead West Chicago put together a pair of second-half scoring drives capped by a 25-yard TD run by sophomore quarterback Lucas Seeman and a 3-yard TD scamper by Stefan.
"We're never going to get to where we want to be as a program if we give up when things get rough," Monken said. "We talked about the need to keep fighting. It's a good lesson to learn for when you're a dad or husband or on the job and how you respond when things get rough. You keep plugging away."