Glenbard West entered the season expecting to lean on multitalented senior Julius Ellens, the reigning West Suburban Silver offensive MVP who has a Power Five offer from Kansas State.
But Ellens is one of several Hilltoppers who’ve been sidelined by injuries at some point this fall. Other players have stepped up, however, including his younger brother Mason and fullback Jack Moellering.
Both played big roles as No. 18 Glenbard West improved to 16-0 in first-round IHSA playoff games under coach Chad Hetlet with a 23-8 victory Saturday against visiting Naperville North in Class 8A.
Mason Ellens ran back the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown for the Hilltoppers and played effective defense on Purdue-bound receiver Luke Williams.
Moellering, a 5-10, 190-pound fullback, handled the bulk of the offensive workload, running 25 times for 116 yards and Glenbard West’s other two touchdowns.
Ellens’ thoughts are never far from his brother, especially when he’s playing on the Hilltoppers’ old-school grass field.
‘‘He’s very inspirational to me,’’ Ellens said. ‘‘I love him. I’m just glad I got to win this game for him.’’
What has it been like for Ellens to see his brother miss out on his senior season?
‘‘It crushed my heart,’’ he said. ‘‘I don’t even know what to say. I felt terrible. I know he wants to be out here as much as we do.’’
But the Hilltoppers have persevered, winning seven in a row since a 1-2 start, including signature victories against Lyons and York.
Lyons ‘‘was a big turnaround game for us with all those injuries,’’ Hetlet said. ‘‘And then when we started getting kids back, it helped with the confidence thing. And defensively, we’ve been playing lights-out each week.’’
Ellens has been part of that.
‘‘Every time we play somebody who’s got a good receiver, Mason’s covering them, and you don’t hear about that kid,’’ Hetlet said. ‘‘That’s a huge thing. Now I don’t have to roll a guy up, I don’t have to bracket [the good receiver], I don’t have to double-cover him.’’
Williams finished with five catches — all after halftime — for 55 yards for Naperville North. Huskies quarterback Jacob Bell’s first pass was picked off by Eli Limouris, setting up a field goal by Aidan Nelson that made it 10-0 less than four minutes into the game. Bell finished 18-for-38 for 183 yards.
The Hilltoppers also held Naperville North (6-4) to 49 rushing yards, which included Lonzo Duckworth’s seven-yard touchdown run with 4:29 left.
‘‘Offensively, we’ve kind of struggled a little bit all year,’’ Huskies coach Sean Drendel said. ‘‘We’ve been a big-play type of team, which is great. But in games like this, it becomes difficult because they’re not gonna let you get a big play.’’
Moellering, meanwhile, was churning out gain after gain for Glenbard West.
‘‘Jack was a downhill runner all day,’’ Hetlet said. ‘‘Naperville North’s defensive line is very good, and it was tough sledding. But Jack is the guy who made us go.’’
‘‘This is what we’ve been working at all year,’’ Moellering said. ‘‘First couple of weeks were slow; we got off to a cold start. We’ve been starting to turn it up and get hot. . . . We kept running trap, and it kept opening up. The O-line did a great job.’’
