Hinsdale South defense takes first-loss frustrations out on Leyden

DARIEN — The easiest way for Hinsdale South’s defense to forget the sting of its first loss was for the Hornets to take out their frustrations on Leyden quarterback Tom Pajor when the West Suburban Gold foes met Friday night in Darien.

After dropping a 20-16 decision to Addison Trail last week in a battle of undefeated teams, Hinsdale South responded by swarming to Pajor throughout the first half and sacking him three times en route to a 35-10 victory.

The Hornets (5-1, 3-1) also limited Pajor and the Eagles to just one completion in the first half — it went for negative yardage — while racing to a 28-0 lead.

“Once you get that feeling that you cannot be stopped, and you can get to the quarterback on every play, then it really makes it easier,” said linebacker Jake Hynek, who was the first defender to sack Pajor. “It is awesome [getting a sack]. I hear the crowd roar, playing at home is the best. We are 4-0 at home, it is a really great feeling.”

A good week of practice following the loss carried over for Hinsdale South, which scored on two straight possessions to start the game.

“It was interesting … we were going to see how we bounced back as a team,” Hynek said. “We really came together [in practice], more so than the previous weeks. The coaches really made us focus; coming off that loss it was tough. But we know that we are still a good football team and our goal is [to finish] 8-1.”

The plan for Hinsdale South was to make sure Leyden did not get its passing game started.

“We have been able to get some decent pressure all year, so our scheme is sound,” said Hornets coach Mike Barry. “A team that has not had a lot of success, you try to jump on them quick and try to put them away. If you give them life, they stick around.”

• As good as the Hornets defense was, Leyden (0-6, 0-3) really had trouble stopping the Hinsdale South offense, which scored three rushing touchdowns in the first half. Hinsdale South rushed for 194 yards on 22 carries in the first half, when Robert Regan, Dylan Boye and Jalen Robinson each ran for scores. Regan also tossed a 21-yard TD pass to Ravon Johnson.
• The Eagles managed to score on a 26-yard field goal by Kevin Vargas in the third quarter, and also scored on a Pajor pass to John Robles. “We had some protection problems early, the pressure definitely hurt,” said Leyden coach Tom Cerasani. “Give them credit, they are a good football team.”