Schaumburg extends winning trend at Conant's expense
While Conant is a football team looking for a win, Schaumburg is a team looking to keep on winning.
The host Saxons succeeded Friday night, but not without difficulty in a 35-10 homecoming win in a Mid-Suburban West opener for both.
For Schaumburg (4-1, 1-0), its fourth win in a row was marked by the same pattern as the prior three: a slow start, a befuddling first-half performance - and a dominant second half.
Conant had a 10-7 halftime lead that might have been 10-0 had Schaumburg not gambled and gone for it on fourth-and-goal at the 1 on the first half's final play,
Jordan Salgado (17 carries, 120 yards, 3 TDs) pushed in from a yard out to take the momentum back from a winless Conant team (0-5, 0-1) that had dominated play for 23 minutes, 57 seconds.
"That first-half score, it should've never happened," Conant coach Bill Modelski said of surrendering the momentum.
The critical score followed quarterback Brian Modelski's 1-yard plunge for a TD, also on fourth down, with just :36.6 left in the half for a 10-0 lead, a drive sparked by sophomore Brenden Spates' remarkable, tackle-breaking 65-yard run. But Daniel Galovich's nifty kickoff return and two key penalties left Schaumburg in position to strike back.
Schaumburg coach Mark Stilling felt the ability of his offensive line (David Drs, Andres Ortiz, Parker Koress, Robert Grasse and Co.) to wear down Conant led to victory.
It was the defense that did the rest, getting field position and setting up scores, and even putting one on the board. Austin Anzelmo snatched Modelski's fumble out of the air, broke a tackle and scooted 60 yards for the go-ahead score in the third.
"(Defensive end) Tyler Ferguson made a huge hit on that play," Anzelmo said of the ball popping loose.
It was all part of a Schaumburg defensive effort that has yielded no points now for two weeks in a row in the second half.
"We had a lot of adversity. We showed some toughness," said Anzelmo.
And some dominance. Salgado twice finished off short drives set up by defense and special teams, including an Anzelmo interception. Quarterback Justin Perez was efficient (5-10-85-0) in running the offense and rushing for a TD to open the fourth quarter.
The Saxons know they have a long way to go though in a division filled with state-ranked teams. "We have to move on, watch a lot of film, and practice," Anzelmo stated flatly,
"We need to come out and play four quarters," said Stilling. "We need to come out and execute better in the first half."
"We're excited. We're really excited," about the win and the opportunity upcoming, said Fredrickson.
"It was not only a conference game, it was homecoming," said Anzelmo. "We knew we had to win this one."