DuPage/Cook County football notes: Brandon Lim, O-line unsung heroes for Glenbard South’s big-play offense

Brandon Lim fits the description of an unsung hero.

The Glenbard South senior left guard is a key cog on an offensive line that often gets overlooked due to a big-play, prolific offense led by numerous standouts.

A three-year starter, Lim is not planning to play in college, so every game in the playoffs could be the final time he puts on the pads. The top-seeded Raiders, who play at Sycamore in a Class 5A second-round playoff game on Saturday, have relied on Lim and the O-line to open up holes for star running back Trevor Burnett and speed up sophomore quarterback Michael Champagne’s development.

Providing steady play and leadership throughout the season, Lim’s an essential, but often a hidden factor, in Glenbard South’s success.

“Our starting line is something special,” Lim said. “The entire starling offensive line is all seniors that know what they’re doing and capable of going against tough opponents. We have several two-year and three-year starters who have all made an impact on this program.

“Although our quarterback is young and only a sophomore, that doesn’t stop him from achieving greatness. In my opinion, he’s chasing greatness. Communication between the offensive line and the quarterback is very beneficial in playmaking. You see what you like and don’t like, and you have to communicate it through the coaches and each other.”

The Raiders (9-1) are one win shy of matching the program’s 10-1 record achieved in 2013 under Jeremy Cordell. Since records have been kept on the IHSA website, the Raiders have won nine games three times — 2008, 2009 and 2021 — to go with a single 10-win campaign dating back to 1979.

A starter since the third game of his sophomore season, Lim said the Raiders have thoughts of finishing the season in DeKalb — the site of the Class 5A state championship game.

“We want to show to the rest of the Class 5A teams what we’re capable of doing and that we’re coming after everyone,” Lim said. “The key to beating Sycamore starts with the offensive and defensive lines. The defensive line needs to do an amazing job of putting pressure on the quarterback, so that he’ll struggle. The offensive line needs to simply block and give time for our receivers, running back and even our quarterback to make correct reads and make plays. Both teams are great, so therefore it’s going to be a great game.”

Glenbard South coach Ryan Crissy said the offensive line, including the Lim brothers, hold the key to beating Sycamore on Saturday. Senior Aaron Lim is a starter at right guard.

“The whole offensive line has primarily been involved using the same blocking system for four years,” Crissey said. “They’re very comfortable in it,  and now at a point they can play really fast and free because they know the rules and responsibilities.  Brandon and Connor Murphy have really been the leaders of the line, but everybody is really solid. We don’t have any world beaters, but everyone is really fundamentally sound with good size and able to get the job done all year long.”

Nazareth update

In another 5A game, Nazareth plays at Marmion on Saturday in a second-round game. The Roadrunners (6-4) sneaked into the playoffs by beating Benet in Week 9. The Cadets (7-3) represent a tough test for Nazareth, according to coach Tim Racki.

“Marmion’s offensive line is impressive,” Racki said. “They can move people off the ball. On paper, it should be an interesting matchup because we’re built more for speed and athleticism and are not oversized guys upfront. It will be a fun matchup to watch.

“Marmion’s got a really good running game. The biggest key is controlling the run game. They’ve got a smart and athletic quarterback who doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. Offensively, they’re very balanced. You can’t fall sleep at the run game. They got big-play potential in pace. Defensively, Marmion is always disciplined and doesn’t make mistakes. They’re very sound a good unit. It looks like a good matchup on paper. They’ve played a tough schedule, and we’ve played a tough schedule.”

Racki said the Roadrunners’ offensive line, led by senior center Joe Urso and senior right guard Diego Vela, deserve a lot of credit for the team’s turnaround and the rapid progression of freshman quarterback Logan Malachuk.

“Our freshman quarterback is unflappable and playing lights-out,” Racki said. “He has taken to becoming a varsity starter as a freshman in stride. It’s really enjoyable to watch how he’s embraced it. The kid has been moving along, and he knows he belongs. That’s half the battle. But our offensive line really struggled early in the year, but now is playing really well and they’ve helped a lot.”

Extra notes: Glenbard West heads to Lockport for one of the most intriguing Class 8A second-round games. The Hilltoppers (8-2) have relied on their defensive line to control games, but Lockport’s explosive offense will test them. The Porters (9-1) led the Southwest Suburban Blue Conference in scoring with 286 points, while allowing the least amount of points (60) in conference, which includes 2019 8A state champion Lincoln-Way East, Bolingbrook, Sandburg and Homewood-Flossmoor.

“We absolutely have to win the turnover battle,” Glenbard West coach Chad Hetlet said. “Our entire defensive line unit has been great this entire year. We must play great in all phases of the game. We have to find a way to move the ball against their great defense. We can’t allow them to get big chunk plays in the passing game.”

In 8A, Hinsdale Central (9-1) hosts Glenbrook South (8-2) on Saturday at 2 p.m. After losing several defensive players and standout quarterback Michael Brecia from last spring’s undefeated team, the Red Devils have not missed a beat this season. Hinsdale Central coach Brian Griffin said Glenbrook South’s offense is disciplined behind a solid rushing attack.

“Glenbrook South is good at taking care of the ball,” Griffin said. “We need to do the same. They run the ball extremely well and set up the pass off it. Their running backs are the best we’ve seen all year, so we have to keep the big plays under control.”