Can't pick just one Star on Saints

My task for Friday's St. Charles North/St. Charles East Cross-town Classic was simple enough going into the contest - pick out the star of the game, the player who was the difference.

By halftime, with the Saints leading 7-0, I didn't know yet. I didn't know how long this was going to last. Was Wes Allen's TD (big shock there) going to be enough to be considered the star of the game?

After a scoreless third quarter on both sides, I was starting to think so. But then Tyler Nutting scored for the Saints with 6:48 left in the game. Then Allen struck again with 3:09 remaining. By the time it was all over, St. Charles East beat St. Charles North, 21-0, on the North Stars' home field.

Even with Allen scoring twice, this game wasn't about the offense. It was about the defense. Even the senior quarterback, all 6-foot-5 of Tim Russell, said so. The stars of the game in his eyes were the offensive linemen.

"Big time," Russell said. "We worked all week on the defense and they did a great job of protecting me. I had plenty of time. They opened up holes for Wes. It was perfect."

When asked specifically who Russell wanted to give credit to, he pulled senior Brennan Walls off the bus. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound center knew exactly what he and the O-line did.

"We shut out a great opponent," Walls said. "It was definitely a defensive game. They say defense wins championships, and that held true tonight. Both offenses struggled in the beginning, but once we kicked it in gear, that motivated the defense to step up as well."

Walls then called for another large offensive lineman off the bus, senior Blake Griffiths, to talk more about how much defense ruled this game.

"The defense played their hearts out the whole entire game," Griffiths said. "They did their job. When everyone does their job, this is how it goes. They did awesome."

What about leaving your biggest rival scoreless in front of a huge home crowd? Griffiths wasn't surprised. Neither was Russell.

"When (the defense) plays their game, no one can score runs on us," Russell said. "They came up big and did a great job."

As far as getting the key to the city - that clunky-looking orange and blue thing that looks like something a bored plumber put together? The Saints own it now. It's something any player on offense or defense can appreciate, especially after surrendering it to the North Stars last year.

"It's a great feeling," Russell said.

"It's huge," Walls added. "Coach (Ted Monken) said we had 365 days to think about (getting it back). We really learned something from last year's loss."

"It's a wonderful feeling," Griffiths added. "I remember sophomore year, the seniors took it. I wasn't on varsity yet, but it was a great time, so now it's great for us."

cbolin@dailyherald.com