Iannotti's grit exemplifies Saxons' rebound

After a tough season-opening loss to Maine South last week, Schaumburg coach Mark Stilling wasn't quite sure what to expect from his football team Friday night as it prepared to host a tough Wheeling squad on the soggy turf at Conant High School.

But he had an inkling.

"Our captains - they do some awesome things in terms of leadership; we got back to school about 10:45 p.m. last Friday and they didn't leave until midnight," Stilling said. "Our focus this week was on competing and I was really proud of the way they fought."

No one fought harder than quarterback Anthony Iannotti, who played through what may turn out to be a separated shoulder suffered during Schaumburg's second series during Friday's 30-16 Mid-Suburban League victory over the Wildcats.

"I was just gritting my teeth through every throw," said Iannotti. "I'm probably going to head to the urgent care after this just to get X-rays."

Iannotti finished the night 11-for-19 for 131 yards and a TD pass to Jesse Disandro. On the ground, it was all Shepard Little, who ran for 3 touchdowns, all coming in the second half. In fact, the only scoring in the first half came on a safety from Patrick Derback of Schaumburg (1-1).

The highlight of the night for Wheeling (1-1) was Michael Barton's 90-yard kickoff return in the third quarter.