Suburban Life football notes: Lyons a win away from historic 9-0 season

One more win.

That’s all Lyons needs to conclude a historic regular season.

Lyons (8-0, 6-0 West Suburban Silver), one of the biggest schools in the state in terms of students, is making waves this season with an unbeaten record heading into Friday’s regular season finale against Proviso West (0-8, 0-5).

A victory would set several new standards for a program that has produced countless Division I players yet has failed to reach the pinnacle of the state tournament. The Lions last week beat York to clinch the program’s first outright West Suburban Silver title since 1987. A 9-0 regular season would mark the first time for the program since 1943, according to ihsa.org.

Lyons coach Jon Beutjer, a former high school and college star quarterback, has slowly built the program up into his own image. The Lions have not wilted under pressure, winning close games against Wheaton Warrenville South, Hinsdale Central and Downers Grove North.

Beutjer said it’s been a team effort, led by several seniors, but noted the recent play of three seniors – running back Danny Carroll and wide receiver/defensive backs Travis Stamm and Mack Long.

In a Week 8 win over York, Carroll carried a heavy load of the offense, chewing up yards in small chunks to finish with 32 rushing attempts for 163 yards and three touchdowns. The 5-foot-9, 171-pound Carroll is closing in on 1,000 yards for the season, compiling 164 carries for 945 yards and 11 touchdowns go to with 15 receptions for 165 yards.

“Danny has been a crucial guy for us on offense,” Beutjer said. “As far as carrying the football, he runs really hard and does a nice job of reading his keys. He’s really playing like a senior. He runs mean and fast and is a very strong competitor. He’s running really well, which is a testament to our offensive line. Last week against York, we had to run the football a lot. He did a nice job of putting the team away.”

Beutjer said Stamm and Long are two players capable of affecting a game in many ways due to their consistent big plays on both sides of the ball. Stamm has caught 25 passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns compared to Long’s 22 receptions for 389 yards and four TDs.

“Travis has had a phenomenal year on both sides of the ball, breaking school records in receiving,” Beutjer said. “Mack had a big game against Downers Grove North. Both of them knew coming into this season they had to be in great shape and did so much extra stuff and both improved so much this year. There have been quite a few games neither of them have come off the field. They’ve both been great leaders for us.”

Nazareth’s Walker aiming big for his future

Nazareth junior wide receiver Trenton Walker’s potential and his future are in perfect alignment – on an upward trajectory.

Walker is one of the key factors behind Nazareth’s stellar start this season. At 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, Walker is a scary player to game plan for the opponents, especially considering most teams are forced into a pick-your-poison spot due to receivers James Penley and Jake Cestone. Walker came up big in Friday’s rout over Benet, finishing with five receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns.

The Roadrunners (7-1, 2-0 CCL/ESCC Green) head into Friday’s game at St. Francis aiming to build momentum for a run for a third consecutive state championship.

Walker started his first game last season in Week 5. He immediately provided a jolt to the offense, playing a role in the Roadrunners’ midseason turnaround that culminated with a 38-20 victory over Joliet Catholic in the Class 5A state championship game.

“I played JV at the start and was just preparing and getting ready knowing my time was going to come and being patient,” Walker said. “I learned last year that perseverance because starting off 0-4 was really tough. We had a lot of hard games and fought hard. It was great to help us win and made me very happy to prove myself.”

As a sophomore, Walker finished with nine catches for 52 yards and a touchdown in the title-game win over the Hilltoppers.

“I did a lot of training and 7-on7s to get ready for this season,” Walker said. “I feel my season is going pretty good, but I know I can always do better. I just keep striving to do greatness.”

Nazareth senior defensive back Garrett Reese, an Indiana recruit, called Walker a player with a high upside at the next level.

“Trent has it all, just everything it takes to be a superstar,” Reese said. “He’s really talented and his knowledge of the game is great. He obviously has the build of a great receiver. He runs clean routes, is fast and has great hands. He’s very hard to guard.”

Nazareth coach Tim Racki, a former football player at Southern Illinois, said Walker is an ascending player.

“Trenton got his feet wet last year with varsity ball and his confidence grew week by week,” Racki said. “He exploded in the playoffs and never looked back since. He comes from a great family, just in how they raised him and his work ethic. He’s very hungry and very humble. He’s such a great kid away from football. He’s funny and laid back and his teammates love him, but he’s very dangerous on the football field. He’s always had the body control, but now that he’s filling out and gaining weight and really worked on his speed, it’s really shown this year with all the breakaways. He’s really maturing and he’s still growing. Trenton is going to be a monster next year. That’s why all the Big Ten schools want him.”

Extra points

Wheaton Warrenville South is sitting on the four-win mark, which puts an importance of Friday’s home game against St. Charles East…Downers Grove South (6-2, 5-0) has a key road game against Addison Trail (7-1, 4-1) in a pivotal West Suburban Gold matchup…Hinsdale Central (4-4, 2-3) hosts Downers Grove North in another game to watch.