West Aurora nips Glenbard East in OT

DaVion Cross had an extraordinary final five-plus minutes for the West Aurora football team Friday night against Glenbard East.

The junior had his second interception on the final play of the game to secure the Blackhawks' most improbable 31-28 overtime victory over the Rams in Upstate Eight Valley action in Aurora.

West Aurora (5-3, 3-2) will seek to garner an automatic Class 8A football bid with a win at Metea Valley next week. Glenbard East (4-4, 2-2) closes with Bartlett.

With West Aurora appearing dead in the water in the waning minutes, Cross returned a punt 75 yards to halve the Blackhawks' two-score deficit.

Then, on the ensuing play from scrimmage, Cross intercepted a pass to give West Aurora new life.

Eight plays later, West Aurora quarterback Jonathan Doyle, who sustained the drive with a fourth-down scramble one play previously, hit Travon Avery on a fly route to bring West Aurora to within 28-27 with 62 seconds remaining.

"It was frustrating, but the team kept it together," Cross said of 16 West Aurora penalties that cost his twin brother DaQuan 2 touchdowns. "Got to thank the coaches. They kept us with the right mentality. On the punt return, all I was thinking was that I have to return this. I'm speechless. It just went too fast."

Darryl Watkins' extra point tied the game at 28-28, and the Blackhawks had to endure a potential game-winning field goal by Glenbard East from 39 yards in the waning seconds.

But the attempt missed badly to send the game into overtime.

Watkins' 20-yard field goal on fourth-and-goal at the Rams' 3-yard line proved to be the game winner. But not until Cross' second interception as the Rams disdained a field-goal try from the Blackhawks' 9-yard line on their overtime possession.

"On the final play I just knew I had stay on my man," Cross said of Rams' intended receiver Zach Walsh.

"One of the greatest performances I have seen in 10 years," West Aurora coach Nate Eimer said of Cross' heroics. "It was one of the biggest performances for the West High program in a long time."

"We weren't going to come out of it without us trying to decide the game," Glenbard East coach John Waters said of his decision to go for the touchdown in overtime. "One play doesn't decide a game."

Glenbard East quarterback Philip Abruzino was dynamite for the Rams as he directed three second-quarter scoring drives to reverse two West Aurora 7-point leads.

Connor Glennon caught a pair of scoring strikes for Glenbard East, which took a seemingly safe 28-14 lead late in the third quarter.

But Abruzino suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter that rendered his personal ground game almost nonexistent.

Illinois recruit Drake Spears and DaQuan Cross had long second-quarter rushes for touchdowns for West Aurora.