Elk Grove grabs on to victory
Buffalo Grove did everything it could to let this Mid-Suburban East contest slip away.
Elk Grove was more than happy to grab it.
A week after committing five turnovers in a 17-13 loss to Wheeling, the Bison committed three more on Friday night at Robert Haskell Stadium as Elk Grove (2-6, 1-3) snapped a three-game losing streak to BG with a 14-13 win.
Buffalo Grove (3-5, 1-3) was eliminated from playoff contention, and after Brian Akialis' 40-yard field goal hit the crossbar with 1:07 left, the Grens celebrated the program's highest win total since 2005 when they went 4-5.
"It was a great game - the ball finally bounced our way," said Elk Grove coach Tom Whalen.
Trailing 13-7 heading into the fourth quarter, Elk Grove had 39 total yards of offense and only 3 first downs. But sophomore Nick Meyer, who completed 4-of-10 for 40 yards, marched the Grens 88 yards over 13 plays. He capped off the drive with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Matt Kauth with 6:42 left.
Senior Jake Turzynski kicked the extra point for the 14-13 advantage.
"It was a good throw and I just came back and got it," said Kauth, who caught 2 passes for 36 yards. "We've been waiting to connect all season."
The two also connected in the third quarter, just moments after quarterback J.P. Kulick (14-of-18 for 129 yards) gave the Bison a 13-0 lead with a 20-yard screen pass to senior Josh Hampton, who also had a 5-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
After Buffalo Grove missed the extra point, Kauth took the ensuing kickoff and reversed it to Meyer, who raced 85 yards for a touchdown.
"At the beginning we were struggling, but the kickoff return really sparked us," Meyer said.
Buffalo Grove's Brett Lesniak recovered a fumble, and teammate Chris Perez intercepted two passes - the first with Elk Grove's defense backed up to its 5-yard line in the first quarter.
"We deserve to lose that game," said Buffalo Grove coach Jim Farrell, returning to Elk Grove for the first time after spending the past eight seasons on the Grens' staff. "I give credit to Tom and all those boys - they came out and they fought hard. They never lost hope, and we kept giving it to them."