York 26
Lyons 16
The Lyons Township football team’s season-opening five-game winning steak was snapped on Saturday as visiting York pulled out a 26-16 win in a match-up between two previously unbeaten teams.
While the Dukes (6-0, 4-0 West Suburban Silver Conference) move on to face Glenbard West (6-0, 4-0) in another huge conference showdown this weekend, the Lions (5-1, 3-1), while focused on its next opponent in Proviso West, can’t help but regret some costly mistakes against York
“We had some turnovers and penalties that really hurt us,” Lyons Township coach Kurt Weinberg said. “I think in a certain way it’s good for the kids to feel down after this game. We had dealt with success all season. [Now] we’ll see how we respond to adversity.”
Until the fourth quarter, LT was relatively well-positioned to knock off York. After the teams traded field goals, the Lions scored the game’s first touchdown when Jaime Jones (8 carries, 37 yards) raced into the end zone from 13 yards out to give LT a 10-3 lead in the second quarter. The Dukes responded in impressive fashion with a 15-play, 80-yard drive capped off by a one-yard touchdown run from Ryan Kent (33 carries, 185 yards) to tie the game 10-10 at halftime.
Sean McDaid kicked a 35-yard field goal to push York ahead 13-10 at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Lions were moving deep into York territory when a fumble stalled their drive. Three plays later, Kent raced 65 yards for a touchdown, extending the Dukes’ lead to 19-10. After LT fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, the opportunistic Dukes struck again with Ken Bosenberg’s one-yard TD plunge to go up with 1:19 left in the game.
“I thought we played pretty well on defense,” Weinberg said. “We gave up a lot of yards (323 yards), but York didn’t score too much against us, and some of that was our turnovers giving York good field position. The play that bothered me the most was when we gave up a first down after they had a fourth down-and-long.”
Lyons quarterback Brian Kelley (11-for-20, 105 yards passing) tossed a five-yard touchdown pass to Mark Sewall in the closing seconds – snapping the Dukes’ run of 23 unanswered points – and making the score a 26-16 final.
The Lions visit Proviso West (4-2, 1-2) this Friday (7:30 p.m.). The Panthers feature quarterback/defensive back Malik Thurman and explosive wideout Ryan Woods, who has replaced Kyle Prater (now at USC) as the Panthers’ top aerial threat.
“Proviso West is always super athletic team,” Weinberg said. “This year, I think they are really hitting people and are a very physical football team as well.”
