Suburban Life football notes: John Renier, third brother to play at York, helps lead culture change in Elmhurst

John Renier wanted to make some changes at York.

After watching his two older brothers – Artie and Hayden – both play football for the Dukes, the younger Renier recalled the growing pains the program endured for several years. Artie Renier, a 2018 graduate, was a safety on the Dukes’ 1-8 team in his senior season in 2017.

“I would watch the (York games) in the youth football section,” Renier said. “Most of the kids my age had the assumption that York was playing to lose.”

But the 5-foot-10, 210-pound Renier, a senior defensive lineman, said he started noticing a dramatic culture shift in the program – and community – when Mike Fitzgerald took over the program in 2018. Before Fitzgerald’s arrival, the Dukes had not won more than four games in a season dating back to 2011. The Dukes, under Fitzgerald, have won 12 of their last 14 games.

York won eight games last season, including beating Glenbard West and placing second in the West Suburban Silver Conference.

“As Hayden began his high school career and coach Fitzgerald took over, it was initially the same assumptions on Friday nights,” Renier said. “However, since I’ve become a part of the program and realized what the coaching staff has done to redirect the attitude and effort within the team, I have been able to witness the shift from kids expecting a loss to wanting to be a part of the excitement of every Friday night.

“It’s a fantastic thing to be a part of this team…Being able to help lead as our team gets to show what York football is about each Friday night has been incredible.”

The Dukes (2-0) are three wins away from securing their second straight winning season following dominating wins against Schaumburg and Morton by a combined margin of 100-7.

Fitzgerald said the defense, helped by Reiner, has played a big role in the undefeated start. Renier has recorded two sacks this season.

“He’s a strong kid and plays end and nose (tackle) for us,” Fitzgerald said. “He can play any position on the line. He’s a great leader and works his tail off. He’s been around the program and understands what we’re trying to build and the expectations we have for this team. He’s done a good job leading by action and helping the younger defensive linemen get up to speed He has a motor that never stops.”

Renier said the Dukes, who play Proviso West on Friday, are aiming to exceed last season’s record and make a run in the playoffs. Renier said the defense is playing at a high level.

“We all trust each other to do what’s needed in order to succeed,” he said.

Tigers back on track

Wheaton Warrenville South is back on track.

In the season opener, the Tigers, a traditional DuPage County powerhouse program, traveled to Gately Stadium in Chicago to play city heavyweight Simeon.

The Wolverines crushed the Tigers 41-23 in Week 1.

Second-year coach Sean Norris pushed his players for a bounce-back performance at Neuqua Valley in Week 2. The Tigers responded with a solid effort on offense, defense and special teams to record a 10-7 victory.

“We challenged our guys all week,” Norris said. “The whole message this week was what was going to be our response after week one. We played a talented football team in Simeon, but we got beat defensively. We looked at our tackling and pursuit, which was not not good. It was great to see that our defense responded in a huge way against Neuqua Valley. We held them to just over 100 yards rushing.”

Norris praised several players for stepping up their games against the Wildcats, including senior safeties Colin Moore and Charles Butt, defensive tackle Andrew Moore and junior kicker/punter Maison Haas. Moore had eight tackles and a tackle for a loss, while Butt tallied 10 tackles. Moore finished with seven tackles. Haas nailed the winning field goal in overtime. Junior wide receiver Daijion Riley caught a 44-yard touchdown pass among his three receptions, Norris said.

“Our two safeties played a great game and led a charge,” Norris said. “Both were filling in the run and the defense played great. We were able to play good defense. Andrew did a great job on the front. Our main goal was to get better agains the run, and we did that.

Sophomore quarterback Luca Carbonaro was thrust into the fire in the opener due to a somewhat unexpected upheaval at the quarterback spot. Carbonaro threw two touchdowns against the Wolverines, and showed tremendous grit with a strong showing against the Wildcats.

“We’re starting a sophomore quarterback, so it’s big transition since about 10 days before game one at quarterback position,” Norris said. “We then had to have a new competition between a junior and a sophomore. Luca ended up winning the job based on his game one showing and did a great job against Simeon. He did a nice job against Neuqua Valley. He’s still learning, but he didn’t turn ball over, made some big throws in big situations. He’s got a really high ceiling.”

The Tigers play their third game in a row on the road, opening up DuKane Conference action against St. Charles North. The North Stars (1-1) beat Lake Zurich 21-10 in Week 2.

“We believe our conference is one of the best in the state,” Norris said. “St. Charles North, coached by Rob Pomazak, is a top quality program year in and year out. Our conference is good football. We have to take this momentum and do things we did well in practice and be consistent and keep getting better. We’re definitely looking forward to conference. It should be a great atmosphere at St. Charles North.”