When Lyons Township High School senior defensive back Caleb Greer grabbed an interception on the first drive of Saturday’s football game at Glenbard West, the Lions made the most of it with a touchdown drive, junior Danny Carroll scoring on a 1-yard run.
The Lions had many other chances but couldn’t overcome the inspired Hilltoppers or their own key mistakes. The result was a frustrating 13-10 loss in West Suburban Conference Silver Division action in Glen Ellyn.
“It was one of those games we felt like we did a lot of uncharacteristic things for our team, costly penalties, mental errors,” LTHS coach Jon Beutjer said. “When you play a team like Glenbard West, every possession matters.”
The Lions (2-2, 1-1 in Silver) had a chance to probably force overtime in the final minute of regulation but the Hilltoppers (2-2, 1-1) blocked their second field goal attempt of the game, a 42-yarder by Tommy Newcomb.
The 4-minute drive might have won the game for LTHS if not for three penalties, one for unsportsmanlike conduct.
“That prevented us from being in a better position to tie the game or score [a touchdown] and take the lead,” Beutjer said. “Kids are going to make some mistakes once in a while, but we had some really costly penalties that cost us the game.”
Quarterback Ryan Jackson was 26 for 35, passing for 229 yards and rushing for 27. Travis Stamm had another huge receiving game with 15 catches for 145 yards. Noah Pfafflin caught five passes for 42 yards.
Jack Cheney had seven tackles and Ian Gamino and Jack McQueeney added six each. McQueeney and Pfafflin had tackles for loss.
Carroll (16 carries for 32 yards) put LTHS ahead with 5:28 left in the first quarter. Newcomb had another 42-yard field-goal attempt deflected in the second quarter but nailed a 42-yarder 14 seconds before halftime for a 10-3 LTHS advantage.
Aidan Nelson’s second field goal of the game cut the Lions’ lead to 10-6 in the third quarter. The Hilltoppers’ Teyion Oriental scored the game-winning TD on a 1-yard run with 9:28 left.
Before the Lions’ final drive, their preceding drive was halted with 7:09 to go on a fourth-and-7 stop, following a false start penalty on fourth-and-2.
In front of a homecoming crowd, the Hilltoppers overcame key injuries and losing their previous two games. That included their first loss to Downers Grove North since 2006 (31-7 Sept. 9).
“They came out with a sense of urgency,” Beutjer said. “Moving forward, it’s a learning process. When we play other teams, we have to value each possession and stay disciplined and do our jobs.”
9-20-23: Due to an editing error, the headline misstated the number of losses. It is the second loss. We regret the error.
