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Football: Lake Zurich pulls upset over Glenbard West
Updated: November 5, 2011 5:40PM
Lake Zurich managed just four first downs, none in the second half until 2:11 remained in the game. The Bears ran only one play longer than 15 yards, and only two longer than nine yards.
But Lake Zurich had a secret weapon, punter Mark Weber, who averaged 39 yards on eight punts. Glenbard West’s average starting field position following Weber punts was its own 19-yard line. He boomed a 51-yarder late in the first quarter that pinned the Hilltoppers at their own 4.
The Lake Zurich defense did the rest.
Mike Shield ran 15 yards for a touchdown with 4.4 seconds left in the first quarter, and the Bears’ defense made it stand in a 10-3 win over top seed Glenbard West in a Class 7A second-round playoff game Saturday in Glen Ellyn.
“I really didn’t think after scoring that early in the game that the touchdown would stand up,” said Shield, who scored one play after a 12-yard punt return by John Orlando and a personal foul penalty against Glenbard West.
“I thought we’d get rolling,” he said. “But both sides were slipping on the grass field so I knew that defense was going to win the game. Our punter did absolutely tremendous this game. I think that’s probably the best game he’s had his whole life. I hope he has another one exactly like that.”
Weber set the tone early when nailed a 46-yard punt after Lake Zurich (9-2) was backed up at its own 17 on its opening possession.
“I just wanted to do what they asked me to do,” Weber said. “I had a bad game last weekend and I just wanted to help my team out today. I came into the game knowing we were going to have some punts. (Glenbard West is) a real good team, a very good team.”
Glenbard West (10-1) got within 7-3 on a 30-yard field goal by Dan Cavazos with 2:32 remaining in the first half. Cavazos’ kick capped a 60-yard drive that featured completions of 25 and 21 yards by quarterback Justice Odom (9- for-20, 118 yards).
But Orlando broke loose for a 66-yard run on Lake Zurich’s ensuing possession, setting up a 24-yard field goal by Mike Leiva that gave the Bears a 10-3 halftime lead.
That was enough for Weber and Lake Zurich’s defense, which turned Glenbard West away on fourth-and-14 at the Bears’ 47 with a little more than three minutes left in the game. Shield picked up nine yards on third-and-7, and the Bears ran out the clock.
“That’s the way we expect them to play,” Lake Zurich coach Bryan Stortz said. “They play hard whistle-to-whistle. Our punting game was outstanding helping us with field position. I think that helped our defense tremendously because (Glenbard West) couldn’t take as many shots.”
Odom added 59 yards on 16 carries for Glenbard West. Orlando had 89 yards on nine carries for the Bears, who hope to get quarterback Zach Till (leg injury) back for next weekend’s quarterfinal.
“They just played better than we did today,” Glenbard West coach Chad Hetlet said. “They did a nice job without their quarterback. They manufactured points and we didn’t. It’s high school football. The margin of winning and losing is inches, and they executed better than we did.
“We lost the field-position battle the whole game,” he added. “I don’t know who their punter is, but he’s unreal. He didn’t look like that on film. He pinned us deep and we weren’t able to move the ball. They beat us at what we do best.”
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