Glenbard West relentless in rout of Proviso West

Kevin Tracy entered Saturday's West Suburban Silver football opener against Proviso West having never scored a varsity touchdown.

That isn't the case anymore.

The Glenbard West senior defensive lineman notched a fumble recovery and return for a score as part of a defensive onslaught in the Hilltoppers' 59-0 win over the Panthers in Glen Ellyn.

"I was like, Is this really happening?" said Tracy, who has been playing football for 10 years. "And then, Oh my god, I just scored a touchdown."

As a unit, Glenbard West (3-0, 1-0) held the Panthers to 3 first downs and 4 yards passing while also forcing a safety in the shutout.

"It's us swarming to the ball," Tracy said. "We play as hard as we can between the whistles. We are relentless. That's a good word to describe us."

Also relentless is the Hilltoppers offense, which came into action averaging over 400 yards on the ground. Playing at a faster tempo and utilizing a lot of no-huddle, the home team found the end zone on seven of their eight possessions.

"We starting doing that (no-huddle) a little bit last year," Glenbard West coach Chad Hetlet said, "but have really refined it this year. We've gotten good with our tempo. We are trying to wear people down."

Glenbard West totaled five rushing touchdowns, with Joey Richmond tallying a pair, including the game's first score. Also finding the end zone were Nic Seifert, Samson Zander and Drew Cater.

Quarterback Braden Spiech was extremely efficient through the air, completing 6-of-7 attempts for 150 yards and two TDs. The junior found Will Halkyard for a 39-yard strike and also connected with Richmond for a 30-yard score after the ball bounced off Jaylen Moore.

"We got off to a good start running behind our offensive line," said Spiech, who gave a lot of credit to the offensive line group of Chase Pierce, Nolan Foley, Andrew Johnson, Charlie Baer and Wes Hoeh. "And then we know teams will key on the run and that will open it up over the top. Today it worked, that was good to see.

"Going at that fast tempo, it gets us all juiced up. It makes it 10 times more fun. It's been a blast."

After three home games to open the season, the Hilltoppers head on the road next Friday to Addison Trail (0-3).