Lake Zurich Bears Level Glenbard West Hilltoppers 10-3

Playing arguably their toughest defensive opponent all year and missing their starting quarterback, the Bears were unable to get much going on offense in their quarterfinal playoff game against Glenbard West. Fortunately, their defense and special teams picked up the slack and the Bears outlasted the Hilltoppers, 10-3.

“We didn’t make any adjustments during the week,” said linebacker Jack Lynn. “We just did what we normally do. Steven (Kuhn) started for us (at quarterback) in our first few games this year, so we knew we were fine."

Bears quarterback Zach Till, who along with running back Mike Shield has been Lake Zurich’s biggest yard-gainer this year on offense, suffered a high ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of . He was forced to watch the game on crutches from the sidelines, cheering on his teammates.

The Hilltoppers started the game on offense, and their second play from scrimmage, a 26-yard run by Ryan Kavanaugh, was one of their longest offensive strikes of the afternoon. Their drive stalled after that, however, and they were forced to punt three plays later.

The Bears went three-and-out on their first possession, and got a taste of Glenbard West’s tight, aggressive d-line.

But the Bears’ kicker Mark Weber was possibly his team’s MVP of the game, as he consistently punted and kicked booming drives throughout the game, averaging close to 40 yards per kick and burying the Hilltoppers deep in their own territory.

Given both teams' stout defense, the game became a battle for favorable field position. It eventually paid off, as Lake Zurich started increasingly further up the field on their successive drives by forcing the Hilltoppers to punt deep in their own territory. With time elapsing in the first quarter, the Bears scored first when Shield ran to the left side on a short gainer for a 7-0 Lake Zurich advantage.

Hilltoppers quarterback Justice Odom was boxed in the entire game, as the Bears’ defensive line cut through Glenbard West's offensive line. Lake Zurich's defensive backs covered the Hilltoppers' receivers and cut off their routes so effectively that it seemed like they had a copy of Glenbard West’s playbook.

“Our d-line was using speed against them, bringing a lot of pressure against their quarterback,” said Shield. “That really set things up for us.”

At the start of the second quarter, Odom couldn’t find an open receiver, so he sprinted to his left for a nifty 14-yard gain. Running back Ryan Kavanaugh ran the ball twice, picking up 3 and 8 yards respectively for another Hilltoppers first down.

But after two more running plays for no gains, Odom ran laterally to his left and handed off to running back Kendall Johnson on a reverse. But the Bears’ defensive lineman William Hussey sniffed out the play and tackled Johnson for a loss of 11 yards, forcing the Hilltoppers to punt.

Glenbard West finally put together a sustained drive late in the second quarter. The biggest play of the drive was Odom’s 25-yard pass to wide receiver Nathan Marcus, putting them on Lake Zurich’s 45-yard line. But after Odom ran a keeper up the middle for eight yards, creating a third-and-three situation, the Hilltoppers were flagged for a 5-yard illegal substitution penalty, making it third-and-eight. After Joe Zito ran for three yards, Dan Cavazos kicked a 30-yard field goal, narrowing the Bears’ lead to 7-3.

The Bears regained their seven-point lead on their next possession. After starting on their own 20-yard line, Lake Zurich was hit with their first penalty, a holding call that pushed them back 10 yards. But then John Orlando found a crease and motored for a 66-yard gain down the right side of the field, putting the Bears on Glenbard West’s 13-yard line.

Several plays later, Mike Leiva kicked it through the uprights for a 25-yard field goal and a 10-3 Bears lead with three seconds remaining in the half.

That the two teams were unable to put any more points on the board in the second half is a testament to both side’s defensive stealth. The Bears went three-and-out on their opening possession of the third quarter, and the Hilltoppers did so as well when they got the ball.

Glenbard West did put together a sustained drive late in the third quarter on the strength of a seven-yard run by Odom followed by a 20-yard completion to Avery Balogh. After Odom ran the ball again for 11 yards, putting Glenbard West on their own 47-yard line, the drive conked out after a no-gainer by Zito, an incomplete pass intended for Kavanaugh that was broken up by Chris Rantis and a quarterback sack by Connor Schrader.

The Hilltoppers attempted a sustained drive midway through the fourth quarter, but several costly penalties, including a 10-yard holding call and a 5-yard delay of game flag thwarted their momentum. After Odom was sacked on a do-or-die fourth-and-14 with 2:59 left in the game, the Bears were able to run out the clock. The backbreaker was Shield’s 9-yard run on third-and-eight with 1:20 remaining.

“Mark Weber was outstanding for us today with his kicking,” said Shield after the game. “Especially after last week. He just kept them pinned down throughout the game.”

Asked for a final thought on this hard-fought game, Shield said, “It ain’t the skill, it’s the will.”

Bears Pause: In a game which was mostly about the performance of the defense and special teams, there weren’t very big offensive numbers posted by either team. Steven Kuhn was 3-for-4 on passing for just 12 yards, but he didn’t commit any turnovers, displaying solid ball management. John Orlando rushed for 86 yards on nine carries, most of them coming from his 66-yard sprint in the second quarter. Mike Shield garnered 41 yards on nine totes. Lake Zurich totaled only 145 yards of offense with just four first downs. Glenbard West had 227 yards on offense with 11 first downs. Mark Weber averaged 38 yards per kick/punt with a total of eight on the day. He had one in the first quarter that rolled all the way to the Hilltopper’s 4-yard line and a booming 48-yarder in the second quarter.

Next Up: The Bears will host Elk Grove next Saturday at 1 p.m. They beat Harlem 39-22 Saturday afternoon. The Grenadiers are now 10-1.