Homecoming loss spells four straight for Trojans

After giving up 49 points in their week one loss, the York High School (5-1) defense has been lights out ever since.

Since that time they've held opponents to seven points on average and they continued that dominance Friday night when they shutout the struggling Downers Grove North Trojans (1-5) 41-0.

It was not a happy homecoming celebration for the Trojans, who were only able to accumulate 255 yards of total offense. Quarterback Riley McGinnis was 4 of 16 with only 25 yards passing and one interception.

“We didn’t have a chance to see the ball that much,” Wander said of his team’s inability to get going offensively. “They called a lot of plays tonight and performed really well.”

The Trojan running game continued to show flashes of brilliance, despite failing to put any points on the board. Anthony Rada rushed for 62 yards in the opening drive of the second half, but the drive was stopped on the four-yard-line.

He finished with 155 yards, but injured his leg on the final play of the game. He was helped to the locker room by teammates.

“Anthony’s a big part of this team, and we hope he’s alright,” junior linebacker Brandon Salter said. “But [Rada being] down just means we’re going to have to play stronger and play harder. The season’s not over and we can still win some games.”

The other side of the ball wasn't much better for the Trojans, who gave up 466 yards and six touchdowns.

York senior quarterback Joe Lucca threw for 157 yards and four touchdowns.

“We have three pretty special kids that play receiver, we’ve got a nice tight end and we have a solid quarterback,” York coach Bill Lech said. “But it all starts up front with our guys. Our offensive line is athletic and strong.”

Dominance by York’s offensive line also allowed their running game to chew up over 300 yards. Ken Boesenberg led the team with 141 yards, backup quarterback Andrew Iwaszkiewicz added 68 yards and a touchdown, and Lucca rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown.

“Kenny Boesenberg definitely sets up the passing game,” Lucca said of the team’s leading rusher. “He’s a big asset to us. Our offense starts with our running game.”

Salter was one bright spot on the Trojans defense. He had two knockdowns and one interception early in Friday’s homecoming loss. Despite falling behind, Salter kept his intensity high.

“A lot of people had their heads down after we fell behind,” Salter said. “I just tried to keep my head up and be a positive influence.”

The Trojans will try to break their four-game losing streak when they travel to Proviso West High School next week.