Bruno Massel scores 5 TDs, York cruises to 37-7 win over Edwardsville

ELMHURST – As Bruno Massel was heading to the locker room shortly before kickoff Nov. 1, Kelsey Pickering told him he was a heck of a player.

Turns out the Edwardsville coach certainly knew what he was talking about.

Accounting for all five touchdowns, the York senior quarterback had a game for the ages in the Dukes’ 37-7 Class 8A opening-round victory over Edwardsville.

York (8-2) travels to Oswego (10-0) for a second-round playoff game at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Massel rushed for 172 yards and four scores against Edwardsville while also being perfect through the air, completing 11-of-11 passes for 65 yards and a touchdown.

“It was a special night,” Massel said after his career-high output on the ground. “Our guys bought in. Obviously our last two home games we had lost [to Downers Grove North and Lyons]. Our defense played really well. After we were down 7-0, we came back and scored 37 unanswered points.

“Our line did an amazing job. We knew they had a stud [Iowa commit Iose Epenesa] up front. He’s a great player. We watched a lot of film on him and were able to limit his big plays. That’s how we won.”

The senior’s first touchdown was a 19-yard run that knotted the score at 7-7 midway through the second quarter. A 41-yarder gave 14th-seeded York the lead for good shortly after halftime. Massel added scoring scampers of 46 and 8 yards while also connecting with Simon Kodosky for a 9-yard TD.

“Our conference is really tough,” Massel said. “You’ve got Lyons, Hinsdale Central, Glenbard West, Downers Grove North – so even though we had two losses, we were ready for the playoffs. We’ve already gone up against some of the toughest competition. We also knew that Edwardsville was a tough team. This was definitely one of the better matchups in the first round. So it was nice to come out and take care of business.”

After allowing a touchdown on the opening possession, the Dukes’ defense clamped down, limiting the Tigers (6-4) to 151 yards of total offense. A sack and safety by Angelo Martire was a big play in the contest as it gave the home team a two-score advantage at 16-7 with 8:08 left in the third quarter. Aidan Link later added an interception.

“This was a full team effort,” Martire said. “From our O-line to our D-line, this game was won in the trenches. Our O-line did the job. And defensively, we made sure everyone played with their hair on fire and played with a little swag. It was a great team win. To have that type of game is unreal.”

Kodosky finished with four catches for 23 yards and Jimmy Connors gained 52 yards on 16 carries for York, which also ended Edwardsville’s season a year ago with a 36-29 decision in the state quarterfinals.

“Both of us, you see this first-round matchup and you feel like it could be a quarterfinal game like it was last year,” York coach Don Gelsomino said. “But it’s playoff football in Class 8A and you are going to play somebody good.

“Even at halftime, you could see it in their faces – we got this. And then they turned it on. To be responsible for five touchdowns in an 8A playoff game, that speaks for itself. And I thought the turning point of the game was [a] safety that put us up two scores.”

The Tigers found the end zone on a 21-yard pass from Yale Weaver to Steven Moore Jr. Weaver threw for 101 yards and Moore rushed for 39 while catching four passes for 25 yards. Patrick Chism had three receptions for 50 yards.

“They owned the field position in that third quarter,” said Pickering, whose team lost for only the second time to an Illinois opponent. “That was the big change in the game because it was a battle in the first half. They came out in the third and kept getting short fields and that paid off for them. They are a good football team.

“We played a hard schedule. That goes to our players’ toughness, goes to their grit and they didn’t quit tonight. Things aren’t always going to go well but they didn’t quit. Obviously it is tough for the seniors.”