WESTERN SPRINGS – Travis Stamm grew a touch emotional reflecting on the meaning of the latest Lyons Township win.
The senior receiver/defensive back, an Illinois State recruit, grew up watching Lyons football. But he never saw a win over Glenbard West and had never beaten the Hilltoppers himself in three tries.
That all changed Sept. 21.
[ Photos: Glenbard West vs. Lyons ]
Stamm’s 46-yard catch, one of his nine receptions in the first half, set up a go-ahead AJ Vavrik field goal. Stamm’s 50-yard interception return for a touchdown in the final minutes was the capper to Lyons’ 24-7 win over visiting Glenbard West.
Lyons (4-0, 2-0 West Suburban Silver), 4-0 for the second time in three years, beat Glenbard West (0-4, 0-2) for the first time since 2016. It also was Lyons’ first home win over Glenbard West since 2007.
“I’ll never forget this game,” Stamm said. “It’s a long time coming. To be a part of this special win, I’ll never forget it.”
So, too, won’t fifth-year Lyons coach Jon Beutjer, who had his players gather at midfield for photos afterward. Beutjer’s Lions have reached the playoffs the past three years, but this was a big hurdle to clear.
“It’s a big step,” Beutjer said. “Really special senior group. Our seniors have never beaten this team. Our kids came and played with an edge.”
Dominic Pisciotti’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Brady Rusk on fourth-and-goal got Lyons on the board first, a 7-0 lead with 2:28 left in the first quarter.
Glenbard West, capitalizing on two Lyons pass interference penalties, tied it on JaMarcus Kelly’s 1-yard TD run 2:06 before the half.
On the next play from scrimmage, Pisciotti found Stamm over the top of the defense for a 46-yard gain that led to Vavrik’s 36-yard field goal and a 10-7 halftime lead.
Stamm, who became Lyons’ all-time receiving leader two weeks ago, had nine catches for 99 yards in the first half. Most came on short passes until he hit the big one.
“They wanted to play Cover 3 on us, so we were taking what they were giving us,” Stamm said. “The flat was wide open. We were hammering those hitches, threw a couple outs on the boundary. We got a really good look on that play, safety shaded strong side of the field, I ran down to the boundary, ran a post.”
Pisciotti, a first-year starting quarterback, was 17-for-23 passing for 174 yards. He was 5-for-5 to Julian Padilla and Tucker King, never going Stamm’s way, in a 13-play, 63-yard scoring drive – Lyons’ first of the second half – that opened the game up.
Danny Carroll’s 4-yard TD run made it 17-7 with 41 seconds left in the third quarter.
“That kid [Pisciotti], I’m so proud of him,” Stamm said. “There’s been a lot on his plate for him to handle. Going from being behind [former Lyons QB] Ryan Jackson, there have been countless people in his ears saying he can’t do it. He’s proven everyone wrong. He controlled this game.”
Stamm, cramping up on a steamy day, went without a catch in the second half. But he ended his day in style on Glenbard West’s second-to-last possession, intercepting a heave at midfield and taking it all the way back.
“We worked all week about defending the run and we knew if we could shut them down at the line of scrimmage they would have to throw the ball,” Stamm said. “We played our pass coverage, ball in the air, I made a play on it. I saw it coming, read it like a book, took it to the house.”
Glenbard West, 0-4 for the first time since 1999, turned it over twice and managed only 135 yards of offense for the game, 59 in the first half. Kelly ran for 54 yards on 20 carries.
The Hilltoppers’ defense, after allowing a combined 119 points the first three weeks, kept the team in the game. It held Carroll, who had gone over 100 yards in each of the first three games, to only 48 yards on 22 carries.
“We played great defensively,” Glenbard West coach Chad Hetlet said. “The Stamm kid, he’s going to hurt you. He’s a great receiver, very dangerous. So proud of our run defense. We were very physical. I think we play like five juniors on defense and they grew up.”
After a gauntlet of an early schedule, Glenbard West has little margin of error in hopes to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time in Hetlet’s tenure.
The schedule does lighten a bit. Hetlet also expects to get standout running back Teyion Oriental back from a hand injury in Week 6 against Hinsdale Central.
“We’re going to have to figure it out and move on from here,” Hetlet said. “For us, it was a step forward as far as fighting for four quarters.”