Scouting Glenbard West vs. Libertyville football
By Kevin Schmit
kschmit@dailyherald.com
IHSA Class 7A championship football game
No. 1 Glenbard West (13-0)
vs. No. 3 Libertyville (13-0)
Game time: 4 p.m. Saturday at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb.
Road to the championship: Glenbard West beat No. 32 Moline 49-10, No. 16 Mt. Carmel 7-0, No. 9 Auburn 45-14 and No. 5 Cary-Grove 21-6. Libertyville beat No. 30 Downers Grove North 56-24, No. 14 Lincoln-Way East 27-17, No. 6 Normal Community 41-27 and No. 23 Bradley-Bourbonnais 22-17.
Playoff history: In the playoffs for the 26th time and the ninth straight season, Glenbard West is playing in its fifth title game - its third in seven years. The Hilltoppers won the Class 5A title in 1983 and the Class 7A championship in 2012, when they beat Libertyville in the second round. Libertyville is in the playoffs for the 22nd time and the second straight season. The Wildcats are playing in their third state title game after finishing second in 7A in 2003 and winning the 7A title in 2004. Glenbard West and Libertyville both lost in the semifinals last season.
Coaches: Glenbard West's Chad Hetlet, who began his prep coaching career as an assistant at Libertyville in 1994, is in his ninth year coaching the Hilltoppers and his 12th year overall as a head coach. Hetlet holds a career record of 120-24 including a 102-12 record at Glenbard West. Libertyville's Mike Jones is in his fourth year coaching the Wildcats. He has a career record of 34-12.
Starting offenses:
Glenbard West Libertyville
Name Ht. Wt. Yr. Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Yr.
Brian Cochrane 6-0 185 Sr. QB Riley Lees 6-1 190 Sr.
Sam Brodner 6-0 215 Sr. RB Noah Moderwell 5-10 185 Sr.
Isaiah Skinner 5-9 175 Sr. RB/WR Cam Shaffer 5-11 180 Sr.
Dionte Moorehead 6-3 215 Jr. FB/WR Henry Schmidt 5-10 155 Sr.
Chrystian Maciorowski 6-3 185 Sr. WR Tim Calamari 6-0 175 Sr.
Alex Pihlstrom 6-5 190 Jr. TE Ben Freedman 6-0 225 Sr.
Tyler Kraus 6-0 220 Sr. OL Tyler Jost 6-6 280 Jr.
Johnny McDonnell 5-10 200 Jr. OL Jon Evers 5-11 230 Sr.
Will Farley 6-1 190 Jr. OL Brad Deberry 6-1 245 Sr.
Chris Minnec 6-4 210 Sr. OL Charles Schmidt 6-4 255 So.
Darien Kaufmann 6-2 260 Sr. OL Walker Hare 6-0 215 Sr.
Starting Defenses:
Glenbard West Libertyville
Name Ht. Wt. Yr. Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Yr.
Danny Riley 5-9 170 Sr. DB Nick Neumann 6-0 190 Sr.
Kobe Easley 5-10 145 Sr. DB Brian Murphy 5-10 170 Sr.
Justice Bradley 5-9 130 Jr. DB Brian McAuliffe 6-2 170 Jr.
Ross Andreasik 6-2 210 Sr. LB/DB Jack Neal 5-11 165 Sr.
Chris Langan 6-1 190 Jr. LB/DB Anthony Tubek 5-9 160 Sr.
Mark Mattson 6-0 175 Jr. LB Riley Buncic 6-2 215 Sr.
Nico Gagliano 5-11 190 Sr. LB Can Hays 5-11 220 Sr.
Jackson Goleash 6-1 190 Jr. LB/DL Ryan O'Malley 6-4 240 Jr.
Nik Hollensbe 6-3 225 Sr. DL Dan Scheunemann 6-1 205 Sr.
Joe DeGrace 6-0 235 Sr. DL Skyler Blacker 6-1 280 Jr.
Evan McTaggart 6-1 240 Sr. DL Ben Kimpler 6-6 234 Sr.
When Glenbard West has the ball: As much as folks may think it's all about Vanderbilt-bound running back Sam Brodner, it's not. Granted, Brodner's carried the offense for two seasons. This year he's rushed for over 1,500 yards and 33 touchdowns. He's also scored 6 receiving touchdowns and scored twice on kick returns. Libertyville better not fall asleep on fullback Isaiah Skinner busting through the heart of the line. Quarterback Brian Cochrane and receiver Chrystian Maciorowski are quite the passing combo. Cochrane's thrown for 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns against only 1 interception. A quick, powerful and flexible offensive line is led by Chris Minnec and Darien Kauffman. Injuries to running back Dom Ficarella and tight end Adam Zybko hurt the unit, but the Hilltoppers have adjusted with talented backups stepping up. Libertyville's defense is a 4-2-5 scheme led by Miami of Ohio-bound defensive end Ben Kimpler, who boasts 9 sacks, and linebacker Riley Buncic. Earlier this season the Wildcats lost two starting linebackers - Ryan Maher and Hunter Reimers - to ACL injuries.
When Libertyville has the ball: Remember what we just said about Brodner? Double that opinion for Wildcats quarterback Riley Lees, who is committed to Northwestern and likely will be moved to receiver when he arrives on the Evanston campus. It's a position he played on varsity as a sophomore, but for the last two years Lees has been dominant behind center. This season he's rushed for 2,400 yards and 33 touchdowns and added nearly 1,800 yards and 24 touchdowns throwing the ball. Running back Noah Moderwell missed last week with injury but Jones believes he'll be ready to go. Schmidt, Shaffer and Calamari have combined for 105 catches. Glenbard West's defense has notched four shutouts and allowed an average of 7.5 points in the playoffs. Linebacker Nico Gagliano has 21 sacks and hasn't notched fewer than 10 tackles in a game this season. Fellow linebacker Ross Andreasik has snared 6 interceptions. Slowing Lees will take the entire unit, including run-stopping safety Danny Riley, who's added a huge boost since his recent return from injury.
Intangibles: With so much deserved attention focused on Brodner and Lees, who will be the "surprise" player to emerge? For Glenbard West's offense, Cochrane has been the strong and silent type. Whether it's play-action, a quick pass or something vertical, at least one big play a game starts from his hand. Both teams have held on to the painful memory of last year's semifinal loss for an awfully long time. With so much senior leadership brimming on both sides, it'll be interesting to see how that motivation pays off. Last week Libertyville trailed for the first time all season and responded with a game-winning drive. Experiencing that type of adversity will help on the state's biggest stage. Glenbard West, meanwhile, overcame deficits early in the season. Combine that with the many other rugged games they've played, the Hilltoppers are rock solid mentally.
- Kevin Schmit