Marstons, Glenbard West pick up another win
Glenbard West overwhelmed Proviso West on both sides of the ball to keep its undefeated season alive.
Quarterback Justice Odom threw for a touchdown and rushed for 73 yards as the Hilltoppers routed its West Suburban Silver foe 51-13 Saturday afternoon in Glen Ellyn.
“It’s homecoming and the kids played well,” Glenbard West coach Chad Hetlet said. “(Proviso West) came out and played some great defense against us, and it took us some time to settle in. Once we did, we were fine.”
A long run on fourth down started the rout for Glenbard West. Odom scampered 47 yards on fourth and 1, setting up Kendall Johnson’s 10-yard touchdown run. The Hilltoppers answered again on their next drive, this time through the air on 21-yard strike from Odom to Johnson. Mike Marston’s first of 2 interceptions set up a 22-yard field goal from Cavazos. After stopping the Panthers again, running back Joe Zito punched in a 5-yard touchdown run on the next drive, propelling the Hilltoppers to a 23-0 lead.
Odom left the game in the third quarter with an apparent knee injury after a scramble. Hetlet was not sure of the extent of the injury but confirmed that Odom would be tested to identify the issue.
“Until we get an MRI we won’t know what the deal is,” Hetlet said. “He was really good to a lot of tasks, but he was in pain.”
The defense provided some points for the Hilltoppers as well in the first half. Defensive back and Matthew Marston snagged his first interception and returned it 19 yards for a 30-0 Hilltoppers lead. As the clock wound down in the first half, Mike Marston snared his second interception on a long bomb near the 3-yard line from Proviso West quarterback Quincy Cole.
In the first half alone Glenbard West (6-0, 4-0) suffocated Proviso West (3-3, 2-2), holding it to 15 total yards, and forcing 3 turnovers. The Panthers finished with 119 total yards and 5 turnovers.
“It was good to get those turnovers for sure,” Hetlet added.
Zito added 2 more touchdowns in the second half after Proviso West scored on a 40-yard interception return. Proviso West’s Marshall Smith ran an 80-yard touchdown in the final 1:25 of the fourth quarter to make it 44-13.
The Hilltopppers’ Hayden Carlson returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards for a touchdown with 1:14 left in the game, upping the lead to 51-13 and closing out the game. Next on the schedule is Addison Trail, which pounded Proviso East 35-0, setting up a West Suburban Conference crossover clash between two undefeated rivals next Friday.
“They’re an undefeated team and we have to prepare,” Hetlet said. “It will be our toughest game to date.”