After missing the playoffs last season for the first time since 2006, Glenbard West was determined to not stay down for long.

Mission accomplished.

Behind four touchdowns from Jamarcus Kelly, the visiting Hilltoppers remained undefeated with a 44-20 victory over Hinsdale Central.

The senior running back Kelly gained 196 yards on 19 attempts and found the end zone on a 42-yarder and three runs of one-yard apiece.

“I used my speed, ” said Kelly, “and trusted my instincts. I followed our line and they led me into the end zone. It was great. We knew we had to start off fast and we carried it from there. And our defense had a lot of good stops.

“Last year didn’t go our way; we made a commitment to take back the conference championship. We are really committed to that goal and right now we are in a good spot.”

Glenbard West (7-0, 4-0) sits alone atop the West Suburban Silver standings after Downers Grove North’s 41-28 win against York, with the Trojans and Dukes tied in second-place. The Hilltoppers travel to take on York next Friday.

“Last year was the first year we hadn’t made the playoffs since 2006,” said Max Hetlet, who added a 53-yard TD run late in the fourth quarter to cap off the scoring while also spearheading the defensive unit from his linebacker position. “Our motto this year is ‘restore the honor.’ We wanted to bring the program back to what it was a couple of years ago.

“This was a big win, they (Hinsdale Central) are a really talented team. We knew we had to play together as a team in all phases of the game. I thought we did a really good job of executing offensively and we made a few mistakes defensively but we flew to the ball the entire game.”

Jayden Daniel registered a pair of sacks and Mason Flaherty added another. The Hilltoppers also notched a safety when an errant snap sailed over the Red Devils’ punter and went into the end zone.

“Jamarcus was on fire tonight,” said Glenbard West coach Chad Hetlet, whose teams had reached the postseason in each of his first 16 years (excluding the Covid-shortened season), a stretch that included a pair of state titles and a runner-up finish. “He was great. I could tell all day, even at school, he was definitely in the zone today. You couldn’t tackle him. He’s getting better every game; his vision is phenomenal. He can make guys miss but at the same time, run downhill and get the hard yards.

“This is as good of a group as I’ve had in my years at Glenbard West. Football practice isn’t usually fun; but football practice with this group is. Every day they come to practice, the energy level is high.”

With matchups looming against Oak Park and Proviso West, Hinsdale Central (4-3, 1-3) still needs at least one win to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

Riley Contreras completed 23-of-30 passes for 233 yards, connecting with Spencer Martin for an eight-yard score and James Skokna for a 20-yard touchdown. Skokna caught 10 passes for 90 yards and Jack Lesniewicz had three receptions for 81 yards.

Contreras also found the end zone on a QB sneak.

“You can’t spot a team like that points and expect a good result,” Hinsdale Central coach Brian Griffin said. “They are a very nice team with some great athletes and they executed.

“We have flashes, we have times where we look really good. Riley makes plays and he continues to get better; we have a lot of kids who continue to get better. But we have to put it together for four quarters to reach our potential.”