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Glenbard West piles up the points again against Leyden

There are high-powered offenses.

And then there's Glenbard West.

The Hilltoppers, already 2-0 after a 55-8 dispatch of Leyden on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Duchon Field, are averaging 50 points a game so far this season.

Ten running backs rumbled for 388 yards against Leyden, led by junior Samson Zander's 137 yards and 4 touchdowns - all in the first half. In fact Zander scored the first three times he touched the ball, on runs of 6, 38 and 38 yards.

Add in 81 yards passing, mostly from junior Braden Spiech, and that's 469 yards of total offense.

Spiech may have the keys to a Ferrari, but you wouldn't guess it talking to him postgame.

"I mean, it's fun to see, but it's really getting everybody on the same page," he said. "Like our O-line, they are really the driving force behind this. My role is to just make sure everyone is doing the right thing in the right spot, and they make the plays."

"They" includes Zander, who took his first handoff from Spiech the fifth play in the game and scored a 6-yard touchdown.

He was just getting started. After Leyden's ensuing drive stalled, his second carry came off right tackle and he rambled 38 yards for another score. Leyden went three-and-out in its next possession, and five plays later, it was Zander again for 38 yards.

"Every time I was in, my line, they were blocking so perfectly," Zander said, "that whenever I saw the hole, I took my chances."

Zander wasn't the only back to do damage. Junior Jalen Moore didn't score but put up 107 yards on 11 carries. Senior Joey Richmond chipped in 71 yards on 6 carries, and senior Nic Seifert, junior Jimmy Zydlo and senior Evan Delapaz also contributed.

But give credit to Glenbard West's line, anchored by junior center Charlie Baer and backed by guards Nolan Foley and Chase Pierce, both seniors, and junior Wes Hoeh and senior Andrew Johnson at tackles. Spiech may have the keys to the car, but Baer and company are the engine. And they're having fun.

"Unbelievable amounts," Baer said. "There is no feeling that I can really describe it. Just pounding a team into the ground and keep pounding them when they are down. Nothing else can beat that."

Don't forget the defense, though, led by lineman Dave Lanciloti, a senior. They held the Eagles to a mere 122 total yards, including just 64 on the ground, led by senior Vince Fredrickson's 49 yards on 10 carries.

How tough was the Hilltoppers' defense? They allowed but three Leyden first downs, forced the Eagles to punt eight times, sacked quarterback Jimmy Lonigro twice, and caused 10 plays for negative yardage.

Kicker Cody Maddock, who booted five extra points, came away impressed.

"I see a bunch of guys who are putting in hard work," Maddock said. "Our offensive line is unstoppable, and with Jalen and Joey and Samson running the ball, I think we can do incredible things."

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