Hinsdale Central junior defensive ends John Breton and Tommy Riordan are both making waves this season.

The Red Devils (4-2, 1-2) have benefitted from the rapid improvements by Breton and Riordan to sit in fourth place in the talented West Suburban Conference Silver Division. The 6-foot-3, 213-pound Breton had a solid game against Lyons, and talked about his growing bond with Riordan.

“Tommy and I have grown up together, so our chemistry is very natural,” Breton said. “We’ve formed a good duo on defense by understanding where each other are and by working very hard in the offseason together.”

After not playing on the varsity last season, Breton has become an integral player in the Red Devils’ quest to move up the conference standings and earn a playoff berth. Breton said he was dripping with motivation in the offseason.

“I think that really motivated me to work harder and get bigger and stronger to earn my spot,” Breton said. “I learned to fight against adversity. It has really helped mold me into becoming a better player. I knew that I needed to develop myself physically to compete in this tough conference.”

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Riordan is moving up the recruiting ranks, spending his weekends visiting several colleges, including Michigan and Ohio State this season. His brother, Gene, is a offensive lineman who committed to Iowa. Riordan, who had two sacks in a win over Naperville Central, also noted the strong bond he has with Breton, while crediting his offseason workouts for his solid season.

“John and I are a good duo on defense because we’re both great at putting pressure on the quarterback, as well as stopping the run,” Riordan said. “Last year I learned a lot as a varsity starter as a sophomore. I had to bring intensity on every play or else the game will not go great for you. There’s also another level of physicality on the varsity level, so this offseason I focused on gaining weight while maintaining my speed. I gained a substantial amount of weight and kept my speed.”

Hinsdale Central coach Brian Griffin said his talented defensive ends have become mainstays for his “D”.

“The defensive line has come a long way,” Griffin said. “We were young and inexperienced at the start of the season. We’re still young, but we probably had our best night last week (against York). It’s exciting to see them grow into their own and figure it out. John and Tommie have both come into their own. We put a lot on their plate to start the season, but both have responded and are playing well.”

Hinsdale Central has a good chance to build some late season momentum by hosting league leader Glenbard West on Friday followed by winnable games against Proviso West and Oak Park-River Forest.

“Glenbard West likes to be aggressive and fast and we have to be patient and take what little they will give us and stay on that,” Griffin said. “We have to trust the process in slowly moving the ball down the field. Our schedule is difficult in our conference. Every week feels like a heavyweight fight. We have to do several good things and execute to win (Friday).”

Griffin said the first six weeks featured development from numerous aspects of the ball, plus battling with building consistency.

“We now have a good handle of where everyone fits into,” Griffin said. “We moved a few people around. The wide receivers corps has lived up to what we expected from and are really good athletes and continue to get better. This team has a really good mindset and showed growth every day. This group has high aspirations. We just have to fix the little things.”

St. Francis looks to rebound

St. Francis quarterback Brock Phillip and wide receiver Dario Milivojevic are forming a nice combination late in the season. The Spartans have a solid wide receiving corps, led by Michigan State recruit Zach Washington.

The Spartans (4-2, 1-1 CCL/ESCC Green) look to rebound from last week’s seven-point loss to IC Catholic in Friday’s home game against Marian Catholic.

Phillip, a senior transfer from Geneva, tossed four touchdown passes to Milivojevic in a 47-35 win over Providence in Week 5. Phillips has completed 93-of-180 passes for 1,669 yards and 18 touchdowns, and ran 52 times for 267 yards and three TDs.

“(Brock) didn’t get much playing time (at Geneva), and never had a varsity start, but he’s come out and been one of the most competitive kids I’ve been around,” St. Francis coach Bob McMillan said. “He wants to be the best kid on the field and the best quarterback in the state. At times, he has shown all of his talent and that he can be that guy. When he struggles, it’s partly because of his inexperience. He’s getting better every week, and when we hit the playoffs, hopefully he will be at the top of his game. He’s a true competitor.”

Milivojevic, an SIU recruit, is having a big season for the Spartans, catching 21 passes for 519 yards and nine touchdowns.

“Dario’s route running is great and he’s catching everything thrown to him,” McMillan said. “He’s competing every day and had never played defense for us. He’s doing a lot of things on the defensive side of the ball. He’s come out and played like he has something to prove.”

Extra points

Glenbard East (5-1, 3-0) has reeled off four straight wins since a tough three-point defeat to West Aurora. The Rams have to close out the season against three winning teams – West Chicago (4-2), Glenbard South (4-2) and Riverside-Brookfield (6-0). For Riverside-Brookfield, the schedule potentially --- Elmwood Park, West Chicago and Glenbard East – could come down to the final game of the season for an undefeated regular season record.