York bounces back, gets seniors long-awaited win over Glenbard West

GLEN ELLYN – Glenbard West had been a thorn in the side for York’s senior class.

Until Oct. 12, that is.

Bouncing back after falling from the ranks of the unbeatens after a loss to Downers Grove North the previous week, the Dukes excelled in all phases of the game in a 24-14 victory over the Hilltoppers in Glen Ellyn.

“Our class has never beaten them,” said York senior Jimmy Conners, who had two rushing touchdowns while also playing defense. “I couldn’t be happier for our guys, I couldn’t be more proud.

“This is so special. We haven’t beaten them, plus we had that tough loss last week. We really bounced back. Everybody was going hard every play and all around. Everyone did their job.”

Conners, who gained 91 yards on 15 carries, found the end zone from seven yards out to kick off the scoring late in the first quarter. He added a five-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to make it 24-0 and would have had a third TD but opted to slide down at the goal line in the closing seconds.

Henry Duda added a 28-yard touchdown scamper as part of his 46-yard output on 10 attempts.

Quarterback Bruno Massel completed 14-of-16 passes for 214 yards and ran for 29 yards. His main receiving target was Simon Kodosky, who hauled in six catches for 120 yards.

“We knew going in that they were 2-4,” Kodosky said. “But that they didn’t represent a 2-4 team. They are very strong.

“And for the juniors and seniors, we’ve never beaten Glenbard West. To come together and beat them for the first time, it means everything. We got the film (Oct. 7 of the loss to Downers Grove North) and watched everything. We saw what we did wrong and we drilled our mistakes. And then we came out today and executed.”

Brennan Kennedy connected on a 29-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to increase the lead to 17-0 for York (6-1, 3-1).

The defense held the Hilltoppers to 32 total yards over the first 24 minutes.

With Lyons defeating Downers Grove North on Oct. 11, the Dukes have a chance to grab a share of the West Suburban Silver title if they win their remaining two games starting with a home matchup against the Lions.

“That was a big team effort,” York coach Don Gelsomino said. “And a great response. You never want to say that losing is OK but losing is OK if you learn from it. The kids bought in, had a great week and got the job done.”

For Glenbard West (2-5, 1-3), which had ruined York’s bid for a perfect regular season last fall, the defeat left the Hilltoppers on the brink of missing the postseason for the first time since Chad Hetlet took over the program in 2007. In his 18 years at the helm, Glenbard West has won double-digit games in 11 campaigns to go along with two state championships.

The Hilltoppers were held scoreless through three quarters Oct. 12 before scoring twice in the fourth on a JaMarcus Kelly 5-yard run and a 3-yard run by Teyion Oriental, who gained 81 yards on 15 attempts while passing for 65 yards. Dylan Vlach gained 48 yards on six rushes.

“We struggled to move the ball,” Hetlet said. “And when we did, we had penalties. York is really good. High school football is about three things – blocking, tackling and want-to. You have to block better than they block and tackle better than they tackle and we didn’t do that in this game. And you’ve got to have the desire to be great.”