Saints power past South Elgin
Teams have run effectively against South Elgin's defense this season, but St. Charles East took a different tack to earn a 38-19 Upstate Eight victory at Millennium Field in Streamwood Saturday afternoon.
"We had seen them on film and anticipated the single-safety look," said Saints quarterback Sam Gunther. "When they play single safety, we go to the pass."
Thus, Gunther riddled the Storm defense for 10 first-half completions in 14 attempts, contributing to the Saints 28-0 lead at the intermission.
St. Charles East reached paydirt again early in the third quarter to take a 35-0 lead before the Storm scored 3 touchdowns late to make the final score respectable.
Gunther finished 13 of 17 for 211 yards and threw 3 touchdowns without being picked. "We were really efficient in the passing game," the senior signal-caller said. "The short passes were open, as always, and the short passes set up the long ones."
The win means the worst St. Charles East (6-1, 5-0) can do is tie for the Upstate Eight championship, and that would take a loss next week to St. Charles North. This is the first conference title in St. Charles East history.
The Saints opened the scoring with a 6-play, 54-yard drive that was kept alive by a Gunther third-down conversion pass to Jacob Krzeczowski.
Running back Wes Allen finished the march with back-to-back 8-yard rushes up the middle, the second of which went for a touchdown.
The Saints blew the game open in the second quarter with touchdowns on their next 3 possessions: Allen scored almost untouched from the 12-yard line for a 14-0 lead; Matt Hammer made it 21-0 by making the most of an inside screen play called "Rocket," cutting across the field for a 40-yard scoring play; and Paul DeBord put the Saints ahead 28-0 with 48 seconds remaining in the first half, courtesy of his 36-yard scoring reception from Gunther, who rolled right on the play and spotted DeBord downfield beyond the South Elgin secondary.
The Saints eliminated any suspense on their first drive of the second half by moving the ball 68 yards in 8 plays to take a 35-0 lead. The scoring march culminated in DeBord's second touchdown catch of the day, a 7-yarder.
"We took what they gave us and were able to put up some points and do a nice job offensively," Saints coach Ted Monken said. "And the defense once again did a great job, so it's a pretty good win. Very pleased, very pleased."
South Elgin (2-5, 2-2) never gave up. Kevin Davis caught a deflected Pete Scaffidi pass for a 25-yard touchdown, Phil Kawabata hauled in a 25-yard scoring strike and Ian Sosna grabbed a 9-yard pass with 28 seconds left after coach Dale Schabert took 2 timeouts during the final drive to emphasize finishing strong.
"The last two weeks we weren't real happy with our effort out on the field, the heart and the fight to the end," Schabert said. "That was a big issue we had the last two weeks. I thought today, to see them keep battling and fighting… It's a beast of a day and to see the kids dog tired, still making plays…"