South Elgin 42, East Aurora 2

South Elgin coach Dale Schabert sensed something different from the time his players showed up at school early Saturday morning.

Their demeanor was serious. There was no kidding around like on some gameday mornings.

When the players gathered in groups, they talked football the way stoned-face businessmen talk about closing big sales.

When the players assembled for pregame meetings, they focused on their assignments with full concentration.

You could have heard a pin drop on the bus ride from South Elgin to Streamwood's Millennium Field, according the coaching staff.

The quiet intensity built throughout warmups, fueled by the memory of 11 cracks at a varsity win without success.

"The quiet, the focus, the discipline… You could just tell it was going to be a total different day," Schabert said.

Saturday was indeed a different day for the South Elgin Storm, the first day they could look in the mirror and call themselves winners.

Quarterback Pete Scaffidi threw 5 touchdown passes and running back Josh Kabala rushed for 139 yards and another touchdown as South Elgin -- which was on the business end of the running clock last season more times than it cares to remember -- turned the tables on the Tomcats in a convincing 42-2 Upstate Eight victory.

Scaffidi threw a pair of touchdowns to both Travis Eubanks and Kevin Davis and found Jordan Uveges, who made a one-handed circus catch, for another score in the fourth quarter.

"This feels great to get this first one under our belts," Scaffidi said. "We'll get confidence, finally, and build off it for next week."

Scaffidi finished 13 of 19 for 201 yards and 5 touchdowns with no interceptions, mainly because he demonstrated pinpoint accuracy on his throws all afternoon.

Already leading 6-0 in the first quarter, the Storm faced fourth-and-5 at the East Aurora 19-yard line. Scaffidi spotted receiver Kevin Davis crossing on a skinny post and threaded the ball over the corner and in front of the safety, right on Davis' numbers for a touchdown.

The Storm would go ahead 20-0 on the next possession when Scaffidi and Davis pulled an instant replay, this time from 33 yards away.

"I couldn't have asked for better balls," Davis said. "We call that a dime -- when you throw the ball on point, perfectly. There's nothing better than when you get a ball right at the letters."

Scaffidi made it 28-0 South Elgin at the half when he lobbed it to Eubanks in the corner of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown on third-and-goal with six seconds left in the second quarter.

The South Elgin defense kept the Tomcats (0-3, 0-1) bottled up all day. The Storm held East Aurora to 172 total yards, recovered 1 fumble and Sean Kolber and Daniel Cluchey each snared interceptions.

"We gave them a couple of drives but, overall, we stuffed them and nearly came out with the shutout," said strong-side linebacker Dane Lundeen. "It feels great today. We deserved this. We've worked our butts off for this."

East Aurora stopped a South Elgin player in the end zone for a safety that avoided the shutout, one play after Cluchey stopped a potential scoring drive with an interception at his own 3-yard line.

But the shutout didn't matter. Only getting that elusive first win did.

"I'm just happy for all of them," Schabert said of his players. "It's going to be a lot easier getting up in the morning.

"And going to bed."