Jack Beetham played multiple positions growing up, and cornerback in middle school.

He looks at home, though, in the pocket.

Yorkville’s senior quarterback has the poise and presence of mind to step up when he feels pressure. He also has the arm strength to deliver a strike.

Beetham showcased both those attributes on Friday. He threw for touchdown passes on Yorkville’s first two drives of the second half, and earlier ran for a score.

For the second straight week, the Foxes pulled away from a halftime tie, this time to beat visiting Joliet West 27-13 in a Southwest Prairie Conference crossover.

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Yorkville's AJ DiVito (9) runs the ball for some yards before getting pushed out of bounds by Joliet West's Dante Farrell during the game on Friday Sept. 5, 2025, held at Yorkville High School. (David Toney for Shaw Local News /David Toney)

Beetham, cool under pressure, completed 9 of 17 passes for 206 yards, 165 of those coming in the second half.

“It’s just training,” Beetham said. “Just constant training. I practice it, come to the field with my guys. We practice blitzes and I step up in the pocket and throw. I trust my guys. Just constant practice.”

Beetham missed his first two passes in Yorkville’s drive out of halftime, but connected with AJ DiVito for a 24-yard gain on third and long, and later for 23 to Colton Spychalski.

On the run, he hit TJ Harland for a 6-yard TD to break the 7-7 tie.

After Yorkville’s James Sapp Jr. sacked Joliet West quarterback Landon Mars to stall a Tigers’ subsequent drive past midfield, Beetham struck again.

He stepped up in the pocket and fired a dart to Joel Castillo on a deep post for a 71-yard TD and 20-7 lead with 4:40 left in the third quarter.

“Growing up, he played every other position but quarterback. I think that really helps his athleticism, it makes him more agile to read those things because he’s always had to,” Yorkville coach Dan McGuire said. “He’s got a hell of an arm. You combine that with the athleticism, and it’s pretty special.”

Beetham has the moxie of a second-year starter, too.

Twice in the second half, he hard-counted Joliet West offsides for first downs. And Beetham credited the guys in front of him for keeping him clean, which wasn’t always the case his junior year.

“I’m very comfortable with my O-line this year,” Beetham said. “I’m protected well.”

The Foxes (2-0) were a little too close for comfort with Joliet West (0-2) for a half.

Beetham took in a 2-yard TD run on Yorkville’s first drive of the game, but Mars’ 10-yard TD pass to Sean Hogan tied it 7-7 with 9:49 before half.

It remained that way, until Yorkville scored on its first three drives of the second half.

Harland, who ran for 113 yards on 13 carries, scored a 12-yard TD run.

“I think our defensive coaches made some really good adjustments; that Joliet West quarterback is really good, really athletic and he was hurting us in the first half,” McGuire said. “They have a really nice team and they’re really well-coached. It was good to see us respond.”

The Tigers, too, responded, after a 41-0 Week 1 loss to Oswego East in which they trailed 34-0 at halftime. Joliet West had 23 players who had never played a varsity game before then.

“That’s what I told our guys; I coach for the improvement,” Joliet West coach Dan Tito said. “Obviously, we want the result but at the end of the day all we can ask for is the improvement. We had a good week of practice. Guys are buying in. We’re excited for next week.”

Tito is excited about his quarterback, and should be.

Mars was slippery running the football and showcased a strong arm down the field. He was 10 for 21 for 95 yards with a second TD pass to Hogan, this from 13 yards, in the fourth quarter.

“Landon is a do-everything guy right now,” Tito said. “He can run, he can throw, he’s a playmaker. We’re excited, as he gets more varsity experience, at the things he can do.”

Yorkville will go for its third straight home win to start the season next week, opening SPC West divisional play against Minooka. The Foxes were 1-4 on their home field last year in missing the playoffs.

“We won one home game all of last year,” McGuire said. “We have to make it so our fans want to come back and cheer us on.”

[ Photo store: Yorkville vs. Joliet West ]