By Sean Duncan

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – Before the season, York was a mere afterthought in the West Suburban Silver Conference, what with perennial powerhouses Lyons Township and Oak Park looming as not only favorites to win the league, but vie for a state championship.

Spurned but undeterred, York proved once and for all that it should not be taken lightly, as the Dukes hammered Lyons Township 7-1 in a winner-take-all conference finale Tuesday. The championship marked the first for the Elmhurst school since 1993.

Respect earned.

“This is just a stepping-stone for us,” said Dave Kalal, in his third year at the school. “We’re building the foundation. We want to be an elite program, like Lyons Township, Oak Park and Naperville Central.”

York (20-11, 14-4) jumped on the defending state champion Lions (19-11-1, 13-5) with five runs in the first two innings. Junior RHP River Pitlock (4-0) and a rock-solid defense handled the rest. Pitlock threw a two-hit complete game, yielding singles in the second and seventh innings. The 6-foot, 165-pound Pitlock struck out two, walked one and hit two batters. His fastball, which he moved in and out with precision, sat in the 82-85 range, topping at 86 mph.

“I didn’t have my greatest stuff, but I worked in on a lot of hitters,” said Pitlock. “I give all the props to the defense; they made a lot of plays.”

The Dukes offense came out the games hot, scoring a run in the first on junior left fielder Josh Paparone’s RBI single. York pulled away in the second inning when it pushed four runs across behind four hits and three Lyons errors. Pitlock delivered the big blow with a two-run double in the inning.

There were several offensive standouts for the Dukes. Senior shortstop Jake Rzeszutko went 3-for-4 with three runs and drove in one on a single in the second inning. Paparone, a 6-foot, 170-pound athlete who’s one of the more unheralded prospects in Class of 2013, also went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Junior outfielder Peter Doughty notched a pair of RBI singles, and senior outfielder Mike Trumbull added a double in the seventh and came around to score on Doughty’s single.

Senior Matt DiFrancesca led a solid defensive effort by making several impressive plays at third base.

“This group, it’s not just one of two guys getting it done,” said Kalal. “This year, we’ve had a number of different guys step up in the clutch. This has been a team effort.”

Said Paparone: “This feels awesome to do something the school hasn’t done in 20 years. … Before the game, coach said just go out there on play relaxed. We came out loose and ready to play.”