Suburban Life notes: Notre Dame commit Joe Reiff leads York into showdown of unbeatens vs. Downers Grove North

Joe Reiff is a big part of York’s resurgence.

Big is the key word in describing Reiff.

At 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, Reiff towers over most of his teammates and opponents. His two-way standout play has factored into York’s recent run of success the past few seasons. The Notre Dame recruit is an elite defensive end and quality offensive lineman. His work on both sides of the ball has been instrumental in the Dukes’ undefeated start.

York (5-0, 2-0) will lean heavily on Reiff during Friday’s West Suburban Conference Silver Division showdown with Downers Grove North (5-0, 3-0) in Elmhurst.

York had its first real test last week against Hinsdale Central. The Dukes scored the first 14 points, but the Red Devils fought back to push them. In the end, York pulled out a 21-13 win after four double-digit victories.

“(Hinsdale Central) was a huge for us,” Reiff said. “I think a lot of guys came here with the mentality that we had to prove ourselves. Hinsdale Central was a really good football program and hats off to them. They played a great football game and tested us.”

“We have a young team. We had incredible seniors last year that kind of paved the road for us. I think we proved we are on the road again. I’m really proud of the way the guys have handled the talk about our team. We’ve had a really focused team. We’ve been focusing on just playing our game.”

York first-year coach Don Gelsomino said Reiff is a difference-maker on both sides of the line. Reiff has 19 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, one pass breakup, one sack and 11 quarterback pressures despite battling double teams or chips by running backs or tight ends on almost every play.

“Joe is a problem for teams,” Gelsomino said. “He rushes the passer really well and teams have to slide to protect to him. If they are sliding to him, we can put packages on the other side to put pressure on the quarterback and do some things with the linebackers. He’s really smart in the run game too in reading blocks. There’s a lot of times our defensive ends or defensive tackles, like him, are not getting a ton of tackles but are doing the right things inside and our linebackers are cleaning things up. He’s very unselfish.”

Despite his size and next-level talent, Reiff said he was excited to be an even bigger presence with his leadership and experience for the Dukes.

“I definitely had to step up as a leader,” Reiff said. “I think it came natural for me because I had such great role models in the past, even in my freshman and sophomore year. I give it all to those guys for helping me. I think my senior year has gone really well.”

Gelsomino said Reiff is the ideal ambassador for the growing York program, not only because of his immense talent but his humble nature.

“When you have a kid like Joe and he does the right thing, yet he’s still humble,” Gelsomino said. “I’ve been coaching for 17 years now. He’s the first Power Five full scholarship kid I’ve had. When he was getting the offers last year and committed, you would never know. He’s the most humble kid and came out the next day and went to work. You can’t replicate that. You can’t teach that. The other kids feed off that and work so hard.”

Reiff said football has been a passion for him since he was a young kid.

“I love the camaraderie and brotherhood aspect and family with football,” Reiff said. “Even players from the past, I have friends for life. I think it’s something that’s really cool, seeing little kids wave at me from the stands. That was me one day. My whole aspiration was to be a role model. Football has always been my favorite.”

Nazareth takes on St. Rita

One of the best games this week features Nazareth (4-1, 1-0) traveling to St. Rita (4-1, 1-0) in a matchup between CCL/ESCC Green leaders. The Roadrunners knocked off Joliet Catholic 16-13 last week after beating IC Catholic Prep on Sept. 20.

“It’s going to be very similar to last Friday’s game,” Nazareth coach Tim Racki said. “We have back-to-back extremely tough and physical games ahead of us. (St. Rita) is a very, very strong defensive team with so many weapons on offense. We will have our hands full Friday. It’s a good matchup with our speed against their speed. It’s going to be a great matchup.”

Racki said one of the unsung players in his program is Nolan Daly. On a team filled with talent and college-bound players, Daly is a key ingredient in the Roadrunners’ success. His steadiness and leadership on the defensive line and occasionally at tight end has been instrumental in the strong start against a loaded schedule.

“Nolan is playing really well for us on the defensive line and tight end wing,” Racki said. “He makes big plays up front on the line. He’s been on the varsity for three years. He’s a great leader by example in how he plays the games and practices. He brings a lot of competitiveness.”

Extra points

Glenbard West notched its first win of the season last week to end a four-game losing skid. The Hilltoppers still have an upward climb to get into playoff contention. They host Hinsdale Central on Saturday...Just a few miles away, Glenbard South (4-1, 3-0) is in first place in the Upstate Eight Conference with a four-game winning streak. The Raiders travel to Riverside-Brookfield Friday.