If beating Glenbard West was the 4-minute mile, Lyons was Roger Bannister.
Bannister broke what some considered an unbreakable barrier in 1954. By the end of 1957, he was one of 16 to achieve the feat.
The metaphor came courtesy of Lyons coach Kurt Weinberg, whose poetic side must have been stimulated after Hinsdale Central followed Lyons’ 28-14 victory over Glenbard West two weeks ago with a 31-30 overtime triumph last week.
Glenbard West had won 32 straight West Suburban Silver games and was 49-1 in league play since 2008.
“A rising tide,” Weinberg said, “raises all ships.”
Whether No. 9 Lyons (6-0, 3-0) or No. 12 Hinsdale Central (6-0, 4-0) has risen higher will be determined Friday night at Lyons.
The schools have been meeting on the gridiron for more than a century, but the rivalry may have been tempered a bit in recent years by the presence of a common enemy.
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Ben Bryant and Josh Bean disputed the notion, in this case anyway, that the enemy of their enemy is their friend, but the starting quarterbacks acknowledged the game means a little more this time around.
“It is pretty crazy that we’re both undefeated and huge rivals,” Bryant, a Lyons junior, said. “No one was expecting us both to beat Glenbard and we did, so this is pretty big.”
“Probably,” Bean said, “one of the biggest games in the history of the rivalry.”
Strong quarterback play was the common thread of the upsets of Glenbard West, but whether Bryant and Bean will both be under center Friday night remains to be seen.
Bryant dislocated a finger on each hand in Lyons’ win against the Hilltoppers and still managed to complete 16 of 19 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
He remained in the game thanks to his father, an emergency room doctor who popped the fingers into place, but did not play in last week’s 23-6 victory over Downers Grove North.
Bryant, who has scholarship offers from Wisconsin and Central Michigan, said Wednesday that the decision had yet to be made and probably would not be until game time.
“We were expecting that,” Bean said. “We don’t know what is going on with that situation. We are preparing for any situation at this point but we are expecting him to play.”
Bean, a Columbia recruit, has been the stabilizing force on a young Hinsdale Central team. A year after being utilized as a change-of-pace quarterback who ran most of the time, he has developed into a true dual threat.
He has completed 70 percent of his passes for 900 yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions, including a 15-for-21, 202-yard effort against Glenbard West.
“Last year, he was in a position battle all year and that really helped him out,” offensive lineman Niko Ivanisevic said. “This year, he really stepped up and said, ‘This is mine, and I’m a leader.’ He’s much more confident now.”
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.
No. 12 Hinsdale Central at No. 9 Lyons
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday in Western Springs.
2015: Hinsdale Central 51-21, Week 7.