The York football team got its 2026 season off on the right foot with a 20-17 non-conference win at home against Glenbrook South.
After a scoreless first quarter, York outscored Glenbrook South 13-10 heading into halftime. The two teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
After trailing 3-0, York quarterback Zack Assaad scored on a 29-yard run to put the Dukes up 6-3. After Glenbrook South went ahead 10-6, Chris Georgas caught a 14-yard pass from Assaad to put York up 13-10.
After a scoreless third quarter, York senior Colton Heilig caught an 11-yard pass from Assaad to put the Dukes ahead by a 20-10 count.
York fended off a final Glenbrook South touchdown to pick up its first win of the season.
“It was a nice win,” York coach Don Gelsomino said. “We had to grind it out a little at the end. It got close. Our kids fought hard. I liked that they fought the whole game and were able to make adjustments. The kids were pretty good at adjusting to things on the fly.”
Senior Tommy Hosler led the York defense with nine tackles (6 solos), 1.5 tackles for loss, 3 hurries and he had one quarterback sack. Senior Dean McPartlin had seven solo tackles, while junior Michael Pfleeger had seven tackles and two quarterback hurries. Senior Matt Young and junior Aidan Allen (1 tackle for loss) each added five tackles, while senior Brayden Byford, senior Beau Walker and Blake Yankowski each had a tackle for loss. Senior Owen Roberts had two quarterback hurries.
As a team, York registered six tackles for loss and eight quarterback hurries.
“I thought we tackled pretty well,” Gelsomino said. “For Week 1, we did pretty good. Sometimes with that first game, you never know. The tackling was good to see.”
Assaad was 16-for-24 with 162 yards passing and two touchdowns. Georgas ran 13 times for 49 yards, while Assaad ran seven times for 36 yards and scored a rushing touchdown.
Heilig caught five passes for 60 yards and a score, while senior Anthony Massel had five catches for 48 yards. Senior Chris Winton had three catches for 20 yards, while sophomore Liam Larma had one catch for 23 yards.
“Offensively, I thought we had some nice balance,” Gelosmino said. “Zack threw the ball pretty well. It’s a little bit of a change. We went from having a really experienced offensive line and a running back to having all that experience on the perimeter. I thought our offense did a nice job against a strong team. Zack had a pretty nice day and Colton (Heilig) had a big game at receiver.”
York now gears up for a Week 2 non-conference game against Nazareth Academy Friday in La Grange Park. Naz lost to IC Catholic Prep in Week 1.
“Having the momentum (from a Week 1 win) is nice,” Gelsomino said. “I think the kids know from watching film what we need to work on. We will be facing a tough opponent that will be really hungry for a win. They are really good and will be prepared. If we are not prepared, we will not get a win. We’ll work hard this week.
