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Gritty finish lifts Rolling Meadows at Elk Grove

Rolling Meadows' defensive unit, despite giving up more than 400 yards to host Elk Grove on Friday, came up big when the game was on the line. And Mustangs' coach Matt Mishler appreciated the effort that saved their 28-26 Mid-Suburban East football victory.

"It's probably understated that getting kicked in the teeth at the end of a long drive and to get a stop takes a lot of mental toughness," Mishler said. "We got beat up, and they were winning the line of scrimmage battle all night."

Twice Rolling Meadows turned away the Grens at the goal line. Once came at the end of a 73-yard drive late in the first half, and the game-decider snuffed a 2-point conversion effort that would have tied the game with just 2:15 left in the game.

Elk Grove's Azeez Alabi (27 carries for 148 yards, 3 touchdowns and a 2-point conversion) scored his third touchdown of the game to pull the Grens to within 2 points. On the 2-point attempt, the Mustangs defense got to Alabi before he could reach the line of scrimmage.

"We knew the ball was going to Alabi," said linebacker Theodore Golaris, who was in on the important stop. "He's a grinder."

Elk Grove's game plan nearly produced the desired result. Coach John Sigmund's strategy was to run the ball, control the clock.

"The game plan was to grind it out and keep their offense off the field," Sigmund said. "We wanted to eat up the clock and be efficient in the passing game."

In the first half, Elk Grove ran 36 plays to 21 for the Mustangs, yet they still trailed 16-14.

Meadows (4-2, 2-0) scored on the second scrimmage play of the game, a 65-yard bomb from Asher O'Hara to tight end Luka Pavlakis, who was wide open and outran the Grens' secondary.

Elk Grove (1-5, 1-1) drove 69 yards in 13 plays to cut the deficit to 8-6. Quarterback A.J. Lorenz (13 of 20 for 187 yards) found a wide-open Chuck Fleming on a wheel route for the 16-yard scoring pass.

The Grens went ahead 14-8 when Alabi scored on a 6-yard run and added the 2-point conversion to cap another long drive, 71 yards in 14 plays.

It took Meadows just 5 plays to retake the lead, 16-14, when Jose Camacho outfought the defender for the ball in the end zone on a 22-yard scoring pass with 7:26 left in the second quarter.

Once again Elk Grove executed its plan almost to perfection, but on fourth and goal from the 3 yard line, Alabi ran into a wall of Meadows defenders at the 2.

"You've got to get 11 hats on the ball when they're running power football at you," Mishler said.

Alabi gave Elk Grove the a 20-16 lead midway through the third quarter with an 8-yard run, but Meadows answered on the ensuing kickoff when Nicholas Delporte returned the kick 97 yards for the touchdown.

O'Hara added a 2-yard run with 7:26 left in the fourth quarter, giving the Mustangs a 28-20 lead. The drive was 40 yards and took 6 plays, all on the ground.

In the second half O'Hara and Kevin LaCosse combined for 118 yards rushing. Both finished with 90 yards, LaCosse on 20 carries, O'Hara, 13.

"We made a halftime adjustment," O'Hara said of the running game's second-half success. "Everyone did their job."

Despite the statistical performance, Elk Grove was handicapped by penalties, 10 for 60 yards.

"That's been the theme for us all year," Sigmund said. "Rolling Meadows did a great job of making plays when they had to."

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