York's no longer just a cross-country school

Quarterback Tom Judge had a very productive year for York.
(Jeff Krage/For the Doings)

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A couple of things jump right out at you when you take a look at the York Dukes -- Warren High's opponent on Friday night in Gurnee in Round 1 of the IHSA Class 8A football playoffs:

* The Dukes have a tradition of excellence in this sport.

 * They sure have given up a lot of points this season.

First things first: A winning tradition.

Known best as a cross-country school (five state team titles in the last six years), York (6-3 this season) is also on a nice run in football, having qualified for postseason play in each of the last five seasons.

Traditionally, a run-oriented program, the Dukes have been led this season by two-year varsity starter Tom Judge at quarterback. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior has grown from game manager to offensive focal point in his two years at the wheel and is one of the main reasons the Dukes will be playing in Gurnee on Friday.

In last week's 19-0 win over unheralded Oak Park-River Forest, Judge completed 10 of 18 passes for 134 yards, including a 12-yard TD strike to Zach Pruess.

In a Week 8 win over Willowbrook, Judge was 13 of 21 passings for 214 yards and TD passes to Andrew Johnson and Jimmy Harvey.

So, Judge clearly can get the job done on offense.

But when the other team has the ball ... ?

Consider this: In nine games, the Dukes have given up an average of 22.8 points per contest. Seven opponents topped the 20-point, and the two best teams the Dukes played both hung 40-somethings on them.

In contrast, of the 11 teams in our area that finished with winning records, only two of them gave up an average of 20 points or more a game. And one of the them was Lake Forest, which ran the fun-and-gun, pass-every-play offense that is conducive to high scores.

So, you have to assume that Warren (8-1 this season) -- with a balanced offense featuring the passing of Zach Shaw, the receiving of Ryan Maguire, and the running of Mike Laio and Tommy Lindal, should be able to put some scores on the board.

Thus, it's up to Warren's defensive unit to hold York's offense down.

We'll find that our on Friday when, as they say in Elmhurst, "Here come the Judge."

In another area Class 8A contest on Saturday, Stevenson will battle Central Suburban League South Division power Maine South in Park Ridge.