A game-time decision

Kevin Jay played one series the week before and nobody knew until Thursday whether the senior would suit up against Glenbard West.

Trojans win 24-14

No. 17 Downers Grove North beat No. 15 Glenbard West on Friday night in Downers Grove, moving to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the West Suburban Silver.

Two touchdown throws

Jay hit Ray Johnson for one score and found Grant Georgas from 11 yards with 3:12 left in the third, putting Downers North ahead 17-14.

Georgas seals it

A 59-yard touchdown run by Georgas at the 3:12 mark of the fourth quarter put the game out of reach.

A runner who had to throw

Jay is known for his legs, not his arm. The lingering injury forced him into the passing role instead.

“It capped an eventful week for Jay, known more for his running than throwing.”

Sitting out was the smart call

Jay got twisted up on the opening drive of a 28-0 win over Hinsdale Central and shut it down for the rest of that night.

“Decided it was best for me to sit the rest of that game.”

Recovery through the week

He followed the trainers' plan, felt better each day, and told the staff Thursday he could go at full speed.

“So [Thursday] I made the decision that I was ready to play, and I could play 100%.”

Goodwin started instead

Junior Joey Goodwin took the first snaps and went 5-of-8 for 49 yards while the staff protected him after a hit of his own.

“Joey, our previous quarterback, had a little bit of a hit.”

Ugly line, right result

Jay finished 7-of-17 for 74 yards with two interceptions. The throws that mattered still landed.

A chip on his shoulder

Last year Jay started against Glenbard West in place of Owen Lansu, now a Minnesota freshman, and watched the Trojans fall behind 28-0 and lose 35-21.

“I didn't perform very well [then]. ... So it was definitely a chip on my shoulder going into this game.”

The ground game carried

Georgas ran 22 times for 159 yards and Zachary Surowiec added nine carries for 41, so Jay never had to force the offense himself.

“I know if anything happened to me, we could still run the ball how we should with them.”

Two long runs, then nothing

Glenbard West scored on a 77-yard run by Keyante Johnson and a 76-yarder by quarterback AJ Rayford inside 13 minutes, then got shut out 21-0 the rest of the way.

Hilltopper numbers held up

Rayford threw 15-of-20 for 157 yards and ran for 84. Keyante Johnson piled up 100 rushing yards on six carries plus six catches.

Young team, no execution

Coach Chad Hetlet said his inexperienced, injury-thinned defense fought, but the offense stalled after the early explosion. Glenbard West sits at 2-2, 1-1.

“We're super inexperienced and young. We played with a lot of injuries on defense.”