It hasn’t been often that Leyden’s football team suited up after Week 9 of the regular season.
Matter of fact, it was 19 years ago when the Eagles last participated in postseason play.
Leyden culminated their regular-season schedule on Friday night in Western Springs with a resounding 40-7 non-conference rout of host Lyons Township.
The Eagles (8-1) now await Saturday night’s Class 6A Illinois High School Association playoff seedings to find out who will be their first playoff opponent since 1979. The Eagles’ only state title was in 1977 in Class 5A, when they defeated Deerfield 8-0 in the finals.
“We have a hard-working group of kids, and it’s good to see hard work pay off,” Leyden fourth-year coach George Duffey said. “Tonight’s game was important; it was for home-field advantage, and we’ll just take it one game at a time like we have done all year.”
The junior-dominated Eagles enter the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the area, having outscored their opponents 131-12 the last three games.
Leyden wasted little time in showing its opponent from the West Suburban Silver just why it is a playoff-caliber team.
After 8 minutes had expired, the most tired player on the field had to be Leyden kicker Julio Alvarado.
At that point, Alvarado already had set up for five kickoffs and four extra-point attempts.
The onslaught started with a 48-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Mele (44- and 59-yard touchdown runs) to Bob Mirandola (two touchdowns) on Leyden’s fourth offensive play.
From there, the big plays kept coming in the opening quarter:
– Bill McMillion (73 yards, three carries) scored on a 67-yard run with 5:04 left.
– Mirandola found paydirt with a 40-yard fumble recovery return at 4:44.
– Jermaine Shaw (107 yards, 19 carries) followed with 4-yard TD run that was set up on the previous play by a blocked punt by Glen Holland.
Leyden was in control 26-0 with 3:31 left in the opening quarter.
“I think that took the wind out of both of the team’s sails,” Duffey said as his team increased the lead to the eventual final score at the half.
“We feel we have momentum going into the playoffs,” Duffey said.
“It’s good to be returning after such a long drought.”
