In a game of numbers, Hinsdale Central’s 26-14 West Suburban Silver victory over rival Lyons Township was a runaway Friday night.
The host Red Devils (2-1, 1-0) outrushed Lyons 296-68 on the evening, 183 to minus-11 in the second half alone. Were it not for three turnovers, all in the first half, this one would have been a laugher.
Bill Auriemma rushed 18 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, sophomore quarterback John Whitelaw rushed for 75 and a score and threw for another as the Red Devils rallied from a 14-0 deficit with 26 unanswered points.
“It was all about changing momentum,” said junior lineman Pat Clegg, who registered three sacks for Central’s defense. “Last year in this situation, we would have turned the ball over three times and the defense would have lost hope.
“We weren’t going to let that happen again.”
The Lions (2-1, 0-1) jumped to a 14-0 lead thanks to a 15-yard run by Alexander Sewell on the game’s third play.
This was followed by an 8-yard run from quarterback Eddie Viliunas with 7 minutes 44 seconds left in the first half.
With the half winding down, Hinsdale Central came to life, thanks to Troy Laing’s 59-yard punt return to the Lyons 30 with 3:04 remaining in the quarter.
Two plays later, the Red Devils cut the lead in half with Rich Zajeski plowing through the Lyons defense from 8 yards out.
From there, it was all Hinsdale. Auriemma’s 2-yard run with 3:26 left in the third knotted the game at 14-14.
After another three-and-out from the Devils’ defense, Whitelaw put Hinsdale Central up for good with a 48-yard scoring strike to Nick Chenier and a 20-14 advantage.
Auriemma added an 8-yard scoring run with 1:25 remaining to seal the decision.
