St. Charles East's win even sweeter against Neuqua

Of all the things you don't expect to hear at Norris Stadium following the Saints' biggest regular season win in years.

"Go Cubs Go?"

I bleed Cubby Blue as much as the next guy, but where's "When the Saints Go Marching In?" Especially on this night, especially after this win.

Something that marks what a special accomplishment it was for St. Charles East to defeat Neuqua Valley 17-14.

You might think it's been awhile since the Cubs, the Cubs, have had something like this to celebrate.

But the Cubs have been in the playoffs (2003) more recently than St. Charles East has defeated Neuqua Valley (2000).

Saints coach Ted Monken not only has proven to be wildly successful at building a winning program at St. Charles East, he has a knack for doing a sportswriter's job for us.

He's as glib as they come, always using an analogy that fit perfectly with the occasion. He was at it again, calling this a "monkey off our back" to finally beat Neuqua Valley, comparing it to a NFL Films clip with former 49ers quarterback Steve Young.

The Saints have lost to the Wildcats in almost every way imaginable under Monken. A blowout last year followed a heartbreaker in 2005 and another hard-fought game in 2004 when the Wildcats pilled on an extra touchdown and 2-point conversion in the final minute.

All those losses only made Friday's win that much sweeter.

"People talk about rivalries. It's not much of a rivalry if one team wins all the time," Monken said. "Hopefully now we get this going and we can win a few more."

Monken used another fitting analogy to describe the number of players who stepped up and made this win possible.

The Saints played without one of their best defensive players, Mike Hoscheit (mono), then watched lineman Nick Fattes leave the game early. Punt returner Eian O'Brien also left, and several more players were knocked out for a few plays in the physical contest.

Yet the Saints never seemed to miss a beat. Ryan Scott helped fill Hoscheit's shoes, while a host of others contributed.

You know, like coach Monken says, just like they do in auto racing.

"You replace the tire," Monken said. "At the Indy 500 you've got to get a new tire on there and the next one has got to be as good as the first. He (Scott) did the job."

Monken's players aren't half bad at putting a victory like this into words, either.

"I've been to so many St. Charles East games, and I don't know the last time we beat them," quarterback Sam Gunther said. "First time at East High School and I'm so proud to be part of that. They've been a thorn in our side. We've had good teams but haven't been able to seem to get over this team. To be the team that finally beat them feels great."

Senior lineman Dave Mashal is one of the many stars on St. Charles East's defense.

Neuqua Valley snapped the Saints' 2-game shutout streak, but you can't blame the defense. The Wildcats drove 1 yard for one touchdown, then ran back a kickoff for the other score.

"This is the greatest feeling I've ever had in my entire life, I'm not going to lie to you," Mashal said. "It's better than anything I've ever experienced. This is a huge step up for our program and our team."

A week after running for 354 yards against Larkin, Neuqua Valley's Anton Wilkins picked up 162 more against the Saints in addition to his 96-yard kickoff return.

And he had to work for every yard.

"They were a strong defense," Wilkins said. "I give credit to them. They did their homework tonight."

Wilkins scored the game's first points, a 1-yard touchdown run that looked like it would give Neuqua Valley a 6-0 halftime lead. You couldn't help but have a "here we go again" type feeling at that point, wondering if the Saints would ever be able to get over the hump against Neuqua.

That's when the Saints managed to take the lead with an unconventional 2-minute drill. They gave the ball to fullback Chris Caci, who shook free from a would-be tackler to ramble 46 yards and set up Gunther's 3-yard touchdown pass.

"They were over-shifting a little and we thought we could get him loose," Monken said. "It was such a huge momentum-changer to go into halftime with confidence instead of scrambling. We got the lead now, let's play good, smart football."

That's just what the Saints did in the second half. The win still didn't come easy after Wilkins' long kickoff return, but one final stop by the defense and a game-sealing first down by the offense left the Saints at 5-1 overall, 4-0 in the Upstate Eight.

Wins the next two weeks over South Elgin and St. Charles North will give the Saints the outright conference championship.

"You want to always feel like you are doing something special, something out of the ordinary," Monken said. "If we can find a way to bring home a conference championship for this school, first ever for St. Charles East Upstate Eight Conference champ, boy it's something to be part of.

"Something these guys will remember the rest of their lives. Twenty-five to 30 years, you may bring your kids to this school, and your picture might be in that trophy case, the first ever Upstate Eight championship for this school. Hopefully we'll get the job done. This was definitely a big one."