# Downers Grove North's banged-up QB flips the script > A quarterback who barely practiced came off the bench and turned an 11-point hole into a 24-14 win. - Title: Downers Grove North's banged-up QB flips the script | Shortify - Summary: A quarterback who barely practiced came off the bench and turned an 11-point hole into a 24-14 win. Depth wins games: two quarterbacks, two backs, and a… - Keywords: high school football, downers grove north, glenbard west, quarterbacks, illinois sports, news, local, Downers, Grove, North's, banged-up, flips - Source: Chicago Sun-Times — https://chicago.suntimes.com/high-school-football/2026/09/11/downers-grove-north-football-glenbard-west - Published: 2026-09-12T04:53:05.967+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: high school football, downers grove north, glenbard west, quarterbacks, illinois sports, news, local ## 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. ## Key takeaway Depth wins games: two quarterbacks, two backs, and a defense that stopped bleeding after 13 minutes.