With Minnesota-commit Owen Lansu sidelined with a left arm injury, Downers Grove North coach Joe Horeni asked Kevin Jay to step up.

And the Trojans’ junior did just that.

Starting at quarterback for the first time since his final season of youth ball in eighth grade, Jay found Illinois recruit Will Vala for a late 26-yard touchdown, leading the Trojans to a 9-7 victory over Hinsdale Central in the West Suburban Silver conference opener for both teams.

The final drive started for DGN (3-0, 1-0) at its own 20-yard line and culminated four minutes later with Vala skying above the Red Devils’ defenders on fourth-and-nine to haul in Jay’s pass with 1:28 remaining.

Jay, who scored four touchdowns a week ago against Downers Grove South, finished with 95 yards passing while also running for 121 yards on 20 attempts.

“We had been running the ball pretty well,” said Jay, “but our coaches told me to take a shot to our big tight end. I trust him (Vala) over any defender. I tried to throw a ball that he could go up and get and he went up and got it. It was the best feeling ever. When he came down with the ball, a rush of emotions came over me - joy, relief. Obviously we don’t want Owen to go down but I knew I had to step it up.

“That was a hard-fought game and it means a lot to get it done for our seniors.”

Vala also had a sack to help thwart Hinsdale Central’s (2-1, 0-1) final possession.

“All week, we talked about that we had to persevere and push through,” Vala said. “We’ve got to be resilient. That last play, they drew it up for me; it was verticals. Kevin threw it up and I went up and got it, I was able to high-point it.

“Obviously we have a rivalry with Downers Grove South but this one goes back 100 years. This means a lot not only for us players but also for our staff, especially the ones who played here before us.”

Trailing 7-0, the host Trojans got on the scoreboard with a 46-yard field goal by Baker Glomb with five seconds left in the first half. The defense, which received an interception from Max Troha on the opening possession of the contest, kept DGN in the game, holding down a Hinsdale Central offense that had scored a combined 84 points in its opening two wins.

“Our defense is awesome,” said Horeni, who added that Lansu will return this season. “Our kids fly around and they understand our scheme. That was just an unbelievable effort by Kevin and our entire team. We had told the kids that we already had some experience winning a close game (11-8 over Morgan Park in the season opener) and I think that helped us down the stretch.

“Also hats off to Hinsdale Central, they are a really physical football team and they are well-coached. That was a heck of a game.”

The visiting Red Devils had taken the lead in the second quarter on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Riley Contreras to Jack Lesniewicz, who made a sliding catch in the back left-corner of the endzone. Contreras, who also had an interception on defense, threw for 144 yards and ran for another 25.

“First of all, you have to give credit to Downers Grove North,” said Hinsdale Central coach Brian Griffin. “You lose your quarterback, a Division I quarterback, and they come out and fight like they did. Kudos to them and their coaching staff, you tip your hat to them.

“On the flip side, I’m very proud of my team. We have the makings of a great team and they (DGN) are obviously a great team. Through three games, we just have to clean up our execution a little bit. We will bounce back and hopefully grow from this.”

[ Photo store: Hinsdale Central at Downers Grove North ]