March 25, 2025
Illinois High School Football News
News

Deon Cook first to score on South Elgin, but it's not nearly enough for Glenbard East

Rams lose matchup of Upstate Eight leaders 35-7

By BILL STONE

“Not really (too meaningful),” Cook said. “(I did like) that they’ve never been scored on. The first one – that’s always going to be in their head when they bring it up.” The Rams (4-1, 4-1 in UEC) were last season’s undefeated UEC champions who had won 15 straight regular-season games dating back to Week 8 in 2017. Included in that run was a 35-7 win over South Elgin in Week 5 – at the time, the Storm's first points allowed.

“Not really (too meaningful),” Cook said. “(I did like) that they’ve never been scored on. The first one – that’s always going to be in their head when they bring it up.” The Rams (4-1, 4-1 in UEC) were last season’s undefeated UEC champions who had won 15 straight regular-season games dating back to Week 8 in 2017. Included in that run was a 35-7 win over South Elgin in Week 5 – at the time, the Storm's first points allowed.

Now the Rams' focus leans more toward earning the program’s third state playoff berth and back-to-back playoff trips for the first time. “This is a big wakeup call for us. We really need to come together and figure out what we’re going to do and who are we,” Glenbard East senior linebacker and co-captain Doug Pham said. “We’ve just got to stay focused and not let this get to us. It’s just one loss. We just have to keep that (playoff) goal in mind and put this one in the past.”

Cook (four catches, 84 yards) has 555 receiving yards and five TDs with two Sept. 20 against Fenton, including a 64-yarder. Saturday’s was earned. The 6-foot-1 Cook leaped with arms extended over his head to grab Cerkas’ pass over South Elgin’s 5-10 Shiking Marshall at the 8. When safety Marquis Gillespie II grasped Cook at the 2, Cook spun and reached the end zone 1:23 before halftime. “After I caught it, I started stumbling. Then the safety was right there. I found a way to get into that end zone,” Cook said. “I knew they were going to play hard on us because they were trying not to let up a score. When (Cerkas) threw it, I just knew I had to come down with it.”

South Elgin (5-0, 5-0) entered Saturday second among Illinois 11-man teams with 232 points scored and one of only two teams to have yet been scored upon. The Storm amassed 391 rushing yards and 420 total yards behind 100-yard rushers Davion Cherwin (123 yards, two TDs) and Corve King (120 yards). Cherwin had 63- and 34-yard TD runs and sophomore quarterback Ben Karpowicz had two 2-yard TD runs for a 28-7 halftime lead. King added a 34-yard TD run in the third quarter. “(Regrouping is) all you can do at this point. A loss is a loss. You move on. You flush, get rid of it,” Glenbard East coach John Walters said. “I know that’s really Bill Belichick, but that’s all you can do. We got beat 35-7. They’re a very good football team. They won the line of scrimmage for four quarters and that was the difference.”

Glenbard East also had drives reach the South Elgin 15, 23, 14 and 26 without scoring any points. Trailing 7-0, the Rams missed a first-quarter, 32-yard field goal after consecutive end-zone passes were batted down. The other drives ended on a fourth-and-2 loss from the 23, a lost fumble and a turnover on downs after an 11-yard-loss sack at the 26. “It’s kind of been our (story) all year. It hasn’t hurt us, but when you play against good teams, what happens? You can’t do that,” Walters said. “And we’ve done it all year, every week. The difference was they were pretty stinking good.”

The Glenbard East defense pursues South Elgin ball carrier Alex Noworol during a game in Lombard on Sept. 28.

Glenbard East's David Hritz (23) and Sean Banks (right) tackle South Elgin ball carrier Alex Noworol during a game in Lombard on Sept. 28.

Glenbard East's Chris Whitehead returns a kickoff during a game against visiting South Elgin on Sept. 28.

Glenbard East wide receiver LaDorus Rogers is hit after a reception during a game against visiting South Elgin on Sept. 28.

Glenbard East's llijaz Lemes rushes the South Elgin quarterback Ben Karpowicz during a game in Lombard on Sept. 28.

Glenbard East's Daniel Schager (10) and Deion Manley (25) chase South Elgin ball carrier Corve King during a game in Lombard on Sept. 28.