Hilltoppers' Defense Comes up Big

With ESPN2 cameras following every play, put to rest the painful memories of two straight season-ending playoff losses to during Sunday morning’s season-opener.

Stepping onto the turf at Red Grange Field for the first time since the Tigers handed them a 40-20 defeat in the Class 7A quarterfinals, the Hilltoppers were not to be denied despite committing four turnovers on offense.

Glenbard West pinned a 21-7 loss on the two-time defending champion Tigers—WWS’ first loss in nearly two years. It’s also the first time the Hilltoppers have knocked off WWS since 2003.

“It was an unreal performance,” said Glenbard West head coach Chad Hetlet. “We just wanted to break through as a team. That’s our mantra. Our kids’ No. 1 goal as a team is to score first in every game. That’s what they did. They’re just a good group of kids. They’ve come together very well. To come over here is not an easy thing to do. It’s a good football program.”

Standout senior offensive tackle Johnny Caspers, who’s been on the field for both of Glenbard West’s playoff setbacks, savored the victory afterward.

“My season’s ended twice to these guys,” he said. “They’re a great football program. The past two years, down in Champaign [a double-overtime loss to WWS in 2009] and over here [at Red Grange Field], we’ve played them hard. But this year we’ve got a special group of kids.”

A capacity crowd and a national television audience—the game was carried live on ESPN as part of its high school kickoff weekend—were treated to Hitters football. Specifically, a defense that rattled WWS and kept the Tigers in check throughout most of the game.

The Hilltoppers either sacked new WWS quarterback Thaddeus Armstrong—a transfer from Class 5A Ottawa High School—or caught running backs Dan Vitale and Patrick Garner behind the line of scrimmage a combined seven times. They also picked off two passes and recovered a fumble.

“I’ve got to tell you … how about the performance out of our defensive kids?” said Glenbard West head coach Chad Hetlet. “My goodness. Never seen anything like that in my life. So much heart. That’s a Division I running back we were on all day.”

Vitale is the Division I running back to whom Hetlet is referring. The Hilltoppers limited Vitale, a Northwestern signee, to 47 yards on 12 carries—22 of that total coming on Vitale’s TD midway through the fourth quarter that cut Glenbard West’s lead to 14-7 and made things a little uncomfortable.

But only momentarily.

Four minutes later, Tigers wideout Brady Banda coughed up the football after catching a short pass from Armstrong. Sophomore safety Hayden Carlson recovered the ball at the WWS 32 yard-line.

“I was coming up the middle to make the tackle, and the ball squirted out, so I hopped on it,” said Carlson, describing the play.

Avery Balogh, a senior, punched it in two plays later on an 18-yard sweep with 1:45 left in the game, which clinched the victory for Glenbard West.

“It was great,” said Balogh, who finished with 110 yards on 11 carries. “It felt great to get the ball after I blocked a lot for a good running back last year in Nick Burrello. It felt great to get my chances and take advantage of it.”

Early in the fourth quarter, Balogh broke off a 31-yard run, which set up what turned out to be the game-deciding touchdown—a 2-yard run by Joey Zito, who had 35 yards rushing on the day.

“The fourth quarter, we got over the hill,” said senior quarterback Justice Odom. We knew we needed to win and we knew we needed to punch it in the end zone and that’s what we did.”

Odom showed some nifty moves during his varsity debut and totaled 62 yards on 18 carries. Unfortunately, he fumbled twice—once on the Tigers’ 1-yard line that ended what would have been an opportunity to go up 14-0, and another on Glenbard West’s first play from scrimmage to start the second half.

All told, the Hilltoppers fumbled four times during the matchup.

“This is a big game to be a quarterback and to start for both of those kids,” said Hetlet, referring to Odom and Armstrong. “At times, our offense moved really well and at times, our offense turned it over. Those are all things that we’ve got to correct.”

Odom’s latter fumble was recovered inside the Hilltoppers’ 5-yard line. And that’s when Glenbard West’s defense rose to the occasion.

On fourth down, with the ball sitting at the Hilltoppers’ 2-yard line, senior linebacker Andrew Larkin—who had an interception earlier in the game—tripped Garner in the backfield. Garner stumbled forward, but Glenbard West wrapped him up short of the goal line.

“That goal-line stand, I think that says it all,’ Hetlet said. “We stopped them four straight times and that was major. That was a confidence-booster.

“This is Wheaton South at Red Grange. You don’t beat them here. You just don’t beat them here. It’s one of the best programs in the country, year in and year out.”

But after an 18-yard run from Avery Balogh, GBW Hitters sealed the deal and were finally able to put away WWS.