High school football: Glenbard East continues historic start to season

LOMBARD – Glenbard East football is partying like it’s 1999.

The Rams beat East Aurora 56-12 on Sept. 12 to improve to 3-0 on the season. It is the first time since 1999 that Glenbard East football is 3-0 to start a season.

Glenbard East backed up wins against Willowbrook and Glenbard South with its most dominant performance of the season. The Rams raced out to a 42-6 halftime lead and cruised in the second half.

Another highlight in the game against East Aurora came when Rebecca Deluca-Lane recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. It is believed to be the first touchdown scored by a female football player in state history.

The significance of the year 1999 will continue to come up this season for the Rams. After all, it is the last time the team made the playoffs in football.

That playoff appearance is something this year’s team is trying to match. The 3-0 start means the Rams are right on track, if not ahead of schedule.

Another 1999 reference will come against Glenbard North. That’s the last time the Rams beat the Panthers. The former DuPage Valley Conference rivals met annually, but since the Rams moved to the Upstate Eight Valley, the two District 87 schools are no longer guaranteed yearly meetings. This year’s game comes thanks to the scheduling agreement between the two conferences.

The conference shuffling that has been going on in the area left both leagues with an odd number of schools. Once conference play starts up for the rest of the state, those odd number teams would have struggled to get games until this agreement. The Rams drew their longtime district foe as their DVC opponent.

The Panthers don’t have the firepower of current Northwestern running back Justin Jackson anymore, but running backs Devion Hodges and Vittorio Tricase still lead a run-heavy Glenbard North offense. By contrast, quarterback Phil Abruzino and wide receivers Karon Keyes, Zach Walsh and Travis Lyles have made Glenbard East a dangerous passing team.

North is only 1-2, but lost 13-12 against undefeated Naperville Central and 14-7 against Waubonsie Valley to start the season. A 28-6 win against Wheaton Warrenville South got the Panthers back on track in Week 3.

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Week 4 matchup

Who: Glenbard East at Glenbard North

When: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18

Where: 990 N. Kuhn Drive, Carol Stream

2014 records: Glenbard East 3-0, Glenbard North 1-2

Outlook: This old DuPage Valley Conference matchup gets renewed as part of the DVC and Upstate Eight's scheduling agreement. The Rams are off to their best start since 1999. The Panthers struggled offensively scoring just 19 points in their first two games, but rebounded with a 28-6 win against Wheaton Warrenville South last week.