By Bobby Narang
Hinsdale Central High School will enter Saturday’s football game at Glenbard West as an underdog.
That’s not a big surprise for the host Hilltoppers who are annually one of the top teams in the Chicagoland area. A victory for visitors at Duchon Field in Glen Ellyn is rare.
But, Hinsdale Central is not afraid of battling long odds. After nearing losing its football program in the offseason due to budget cuts, the Red Devils have pulled off an even bigger surprise by winning their first seven games under first-year head coach Brian Griffin.
The Red Devils, 7-0 and 4-0, and Hilltoppers, 7-0 and 4-0, will hook up a battle of heavyweights, with the West Suburban Conference Silver championship at stake.
“It’s funny now, but the coaching staff has been talking a lot about that lately,” Griffin said. “There was so much stuff we had to deal with from April into the Summer. We just wanted to get to week one, get our stuff installed and then be ready for week two. We didn’t have much time to think or dream about anything.
“Looking back and reflecting, did we even expect to be here? We had a new coach and new offensive and defensive coordinators. Everybody was in new roles. For the coaching staff and the kids to come together and get all these wins, it’s been a lot of fun. The kids are having a blast, so is the coaching staff.”
• Montini Catholic wins in unusual way.
By now, the Montini Broncos are accustomed to unexpected events.
As one of the top football programs in the State, Montini has experienced nearly every aspect of building toward a championship.
The Broncos experienced a new aspect Friday, when their game against St. Joseph was canceled. Montini received a forfeit victory because the Chargers elected not to play because of a large number of injuries and illness.
St. Joseph is scheduled to play host to Marmion Academy Friday at Elmhurst College. No word of cancellation had been received earlier this week.
Montini, 5-2, will enter Friday’s game against De La Salle rested and motivated to build some momentum for the playoffs. Montini head coach Mike Bukovsky said quarterback Deontay Bell is cleared to play after missing the second half against Notre Dame October 4.
“The good news is we are a few days ahead of where we usually are,” Bukovsky said. “We started breaking down film of (De La Salle), then went out and scouted them at Mount Carmel (a 28-21) victory for the host Caravan). It was a good chance to see (De La Salle) live. We made the best out of a bad situation. I’ve never experienced something like that.”