After historic 2022 season, York eager to get back at it

AURORA – Cole Ostendorf said this felt like the longest offseason he’s ever experienced.

That’s how eager they are to play football at York.

Ostendorf and the Dukes are coming off what may be the greatest season in program history. They went 9-0 for the first time in the 102-year history of York football and reached the Class 8A semifinals. So, yes, Ostendorf is quite eager for an encore.

“I couldn’t wait to get back out here, get through 7-on-7s,” said Ostendorf, York’s All-State senior linebacker. “I just want the season to start. I’m ready to go.”

“I just want the season to start. I’m ready to go.”

—  Cole Ostendorf, York senior linebacker

It’s still two months until the first football Friday, but the Dukes look on schedule. They won the West Aurora 7-on-7 on June 23 and participated in a joint practice with Willowbrook on June 27.

While the Dukes have been lifting weights early mornings since December, coach Mike Fitzgerald said it’s good to get back on the field for football-specific activities. They’re not dwelling too much on last year’s success or expectations for this season.

“We just focus on the day,” Fitzgerald said. “You have to get better every day. That’s all you can really control. You can’t control what happened in the past, you can’t control what happens tomorrow. We can control if we get good work in each day and make right choices off the field. That is how we have always done it. Be consistent with your behavior and the outcome will hopefully take care of itself.”

It doesn’t hurt to have the ringleader on defense back in the middle.

Ostendorf, the Defensive Player of the Year in the West Suburban Silver Conference, returns to lead the defense after recording 90 tackles with 11.5 sacks as a junior.

“Anytime you get the Defensive Player of the Year back from a conference that had three quarterfinal teams, it’s a good thing,” Fitzgerald said. “He’s right in the middle of the defense, he’ll be all over the field again, he’s no nonsense, a heck of a football player. He makes play after play after play. He’s not a talker. He does everything by action and example.”

Ostendorf said he spent the offseason working on his all-around game through the weight room and speed training and bringing his new teammates up to speed. Junior defensive lineman Joseph Reiff, who holds offers from Notre Dame, Iowa, Northwestern and Purdue, is another name to watch on the York defense.

“Some of the kids who didn’t see the field last year, trying to get them ready,” Ostendorf said. “It’s a team game.”

York will have big shoes to fill on the other side of the field with quarterback Matt Vezza – the 2022 Suburban Life Football Player of the Year – graduated and now at New Hampshire. Senior Sean Winton has two juniors pushing him for the quarterback job.

“They all have great football IQs, are coachable. I feel good about all of them. It will be a good competition,” Fitzgerald said. “Matt was a special player, a great leader. Guys need to step up in his place. He did so much with his legs and arm, but Jake Melion is a heck of a running back. We had so much talent last year and he was one of them. He is a great back that will help our quarterback tremendously. Knowing our running back is talented, it takes some pressure off.”

Whoever is at quarterback will be looking in the direction of senior receiver Luke Mailander, who lined up outside primarily last year but expects to move around.

“I’ve been working hard on perfecting my craft knowing that I’ll have to play an even bigger role. I have to step up and be a better version of myself,” Mailander said. “I’ll be moving around a lot more, trying to work in some slot. There’s going to be some games where the outside might be taken away and we’ll need to move guys around.”

Mailander ran on York’s medal-winning 4x100 and 4x200 relays in track and brings that speed to the football field.

“He had a great season for us last year. Just a dynamic athlete who is a track kid,” Fitzgerald said. “He has great speed, runs great routes, has good hands. Teams will look to cover him so we’ll have to move him around.”

There is no hiding for the Dukes after the success they’ve have under Fitzgerald, most notably last season. A beefed-up schedule provides an immediate challenge with nonconference games the first two weeks against Glenbrook South and defending Class 5A champion Nazareth.

“We know we have a target on our back,” Ostendorf said. “The goal is to take it practice by practice, game by game, improve along the way, same as we did last year. We’re keeping our head in it.”