South Elgin 49, Elgin 7
South Elgin is getting used to this winning stuff.
After dropping its first 11 games as a program, South Elgin made it two wins in a row by making short work of shorthanded Elgin 49-7 in an Upstate Eight Conference game at Millennium Field in Streamwood Friday night.
South Elgin quarterback Pete Scaffidi ran for 3 touchdowns and threw for two more in the first half alone to put South Elgin ahead 35-0.
The senior added a third scoring pass in the third quarter before heading to the bench with a running clock and a 42-0 lead.
South Elgin (2-2, 2-0) led 49-0 before Elgin's (2-2, 0-1) Robert Hayes scored in the fourth quarter to avert a shutout.
"We came out strong and our line did a great job today," Scaffidi said of linemen Mike Keller, Nate VanMetre, John Hull, Wayne Smith and Anthony Connors.
Elgin's roster consists of 31 players this season, only 27 of which took the field due to four gameday suspensions stemming from missed classes on Friday afternoon. Included among the disciplined were star running back Kenny Williams and starting quarterback Tom Roth, without whom Elgin's offense stagnated.
With senior wide receiver Juan Morales bravely subbing on short notice for Roth at quarterback, a position he had never played at any level of football, Elgin finished the first half with minus 3 yards of total offense.
Other symptoms of Elgin's Friday night virus, all from the first half: 6 penalties, a fumbled shotgun snap, a long snap that sailed over the Elgin punter's head for a 28-yard loss to his own 5, and 2 lost fumbles on exchanges that gave the Storm short fields.
"I think the way the day started affected everything else," Elgin coach Tom Kim said of the suspensions. "Then we had 6 guys show up late today for pregame meetings. And before the game we told everyone to put their equipment in, and some individuals chose not to listen."
Kim's last point was in reference to a 50-yard run by running back Hayes in the first quarter that was called back due to improper equipment on an Elgin player, typifying the day.
Regardless of who Elgin was missing, South Elgin was satisfied with the outcome.
"We weren't just focused on one guy," said Storm running back Josh Kabala, who rushed for 96 yards on 15 carries. "It takes a team to win a game."
Elgin finished with 48 yards of total offense compared to South Elgin's 287.
"Tonight was a real big one," said South Elgin coach Dale Schabert. "After that win last week with a young team, this game was a monster for us. Would we be happy with (last week's win) and sit on it or come out and work and take nothing for granted. I'm real pleased with the way our defense played."