DuPage County football All-Area team has multiple selections from Glenbard South and Glenbard West

Both Glenbard South and Glenbard West found players on the All-Area team, with West landing four of the 50 total selections. South’s All-Area star was Talha Ayhan, here’s some of what the Daily Herald had to say about him:

That Ayhan recorded 89 tackles at defensive end and nose tackle in his second year of football attests to his athleticism and drive. A passionate, natural leader and team co-captain, the 5-foot-10, 200-pound senior made 16 tackles for loss with 7 sacks, and forced 2 fumbles.

Glenbard West’s representatives were quarterback Cole Brady, linebacker Mark Mattson, defensive lineman Dionte Moorehead, and wide receiver Alec Pierce. Here’s snippets of what the Daily Herald had to say, check out the article for the full rundown.

On QB Cole Brady:

“He’s one of the best quarterbacks we’ve had in the last 10 years,” coach Chad Hetlet said. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound senior displayed the perfect blend of moving the chains and hitting the home run with the long ball. The all-West Suburban Silver honoree became critical when injuries hampered the backfield. Brady threw for 2,083 yards and 23 touchdowns.

On LB Mark Mattson:

A major part of the Hilltoppers’ Class 7A title run last season, Mattson became even more important this year at the heart of a defense decimated by injuries. “He was our saving grace being healthy and making sure guys were in the right place,” coach Chad Hetlet said. Athletic with vision and good instincts, the 6-foot, 190-pound senior all-West Suburban Silver linebacker had 118 tackles, including 6 sacks, 2 interceptions and he recovered 3 fumbles.

On the 6-4, 210 pound senior Dionte Moorhead:

On offense and defense, Moorehead leveled or stormed past just about everything in his path…The defensive lineman of the year in the West Suburban Silver was explosive coming off the edge, but he also delivered crushing hits as a lead blocker in the run game. Moorehead counted 21 tackles for loss among his 65 total tackles. He had 12 sacks and forced 4 fumbles.

On the 6-4 junior Alec Pierce:

The IHSFCA all-state and all-West Suburban Silver honoree averaged nearly 30 yards on his 28 catches, seven that went for touchdowns. Explosive speed, strength coming off the line and hands like vices made him a lethal deep threat. “He’s the epitome of a big-play guy,” Hetlet said.

Also named to the honorable mentions list for West were DB/LB Jackson Goleash, a senior, and tight end Alex Pihlstrom also a senior. For South, junior quarterback Jack Crouch and junior linebacker Nick D’Ambra were also named to the honorable mentions.

Three of West’s four All-Area players are seniors, so it will be a year of reloading for GW after a semi-final appearance in their first taste of the 8A playoffs. Glenbard South will look to improve upon their 5-5 season in 2016, and with two juniors as honorable mentions it will be interesting to see how they perform in 2017.