Julius Ellens goes off for 312 yards, 5 TDs, Glenbard West overwhelms Glenbrook South

GLEN ELLYN – Glenbard West running back Julius Ellens said the goal of the Hilltoppers’ ground game is to gain four yards a carry.

Ellens was off by about 10 yards a pop Nov. 5.

Despite playing on a muddy Duchon Field that obscured uniform numbers while the game was still in the first quarter, Ellens, a 170-pound junior, amassed 312 yards rushing on 21 carries with touchdown runs of 4, 14, 22, 64 and 76 yards against Glenbrook South.

Winning the line of scrimmage on offense and defense, Glenbard West beat Glenbrook South 42-0 in the Class 8A second-round playoff game in Glen Ellyn.

“Week 4 against Proviso West I had five touchdowns, but nothing like this. The yards that I had in this game, the atmosphere, the field and stuff like that, this is just something different,” Ellens said.

Glenbard West (10-1) moved into the 8A quarterfinals and will face Maine South (8-2) at 6 p.m. Saturday in Park Ridge.

“The seniors wanted to make a return to glory with our program. We haven’t been to the quarters since 2016,” Glenbard West coach Chad Hetlet said. “They played with a lot of heart. I was blown away by how our kids played, to be honest with you. [Glenbrook South] is a really good team and we made them not look so good today.”

Without throwing a pass, Glenbard West scored on its first six possessions, 14 points in each of the first three quarters. The Hilltoppers initiated the running clock at 6:36 of the third quarter when Ellens slogged 16 yards to the 40-yard line, broke a tackle and took off from there for a 76-yard touchdown run. Kicker Marcello Diomede, 6 for 6 on extra points against a flag-stiffening cross wind, made the score 42-0.

“They ran what we expected,” said Glenbrook South coach Dave Schoenwetter, whose Titans ended at 9-2. “They did a terrific job running off tackle, and I thought their belly lead play was great as well. They kind of just kept going back to the well on that. They just did a great job. I know our kids played hard, but they executed better than us.”

Glenbard West led 14-0 after a quarter as Ellens followed linemen Chris Terek, Luke Gadomski, Brady Cavan, Jack Anderson and tight end Filip Maciorowski. Joey Pope scored the lone non-Ellens touchdown on a 40-yard run that made it 21-0 at 6:02 of the second quarter.

On Glenbrook South’s next play from scrimmage, the Hilltoppers’ Michael Short kept driving to sack Titans quarterback Hunter Kreske and force a fumble recovered by Brandon Kud at the Titans’ 22-yard line.

On the next play, Ellens went the distance for Glenbard West’s second touchdown in 19 seconds for a 28-0 halftime lead.

“I’m just following my O-line,” Ellens said. “They’re the best O-line I’ve ever played with.”

With Erik Lonvick and the Wisconsin-bound Terek up front, Glenbard West’s defense allowed 127 yards and five first downs. The Hilltoppers recovered two fumbles, intercepted a pass and held Glenbrook South’s consistent 100-yard rusher Chuck Gottfred to 48 yards on 11 carries.

“We’ve just got to keep pounding,” Terek said. “We’ve got to play Glenbard West-style football, we’ve got to get after it every play, and that’s just how we do it around here.”