Satisfying playoff payoff for Elk Grove
The first major step in the turnaround for Elk Grove's football team is complete. The Grenadiers won their "playoff for the playoffs" 14-7 at Mid-Suburban East rival Buffalo Grove Friday, assuring themselves a spot in the 7A bracket with a 6-3 record (3-2 in the East).
On the flip side, the Bison, who became playoff eligible with their fifth win at Hersey two weeks ago, now must wait until the class 7A pairings are announced to see if their 5-4 record is enough to continue playing.
"Our playoffs started last week against Hersey," said Grens quarterback Nick Meyer.
Meyer scored on runs of 3 and 6 yards in the second quarter, breaking up a scoreless tie. The right side of Elk Grove's offensive line - guard Justin Cruz and tackle Peter Ioakimidis - paved the way for Meyer, who ran 38 times for 171 yards. He also completed 9 of 16 passes for 96 yards in windy conditions.
"We knew we had to win," Cruz said. "We didn't want playoff points to determine it."
"This is our first year together (on the varsity), but we're real close," Ioakimidis said. "There's a different attitude. I knew we'd be in the playoffs."
Both played on last year's 9-0 sophomore team and are among 17 junior starters.
"I saw a competitive fire in Nick," first-year Elk Grove coach Brian Doll said. "He wanted to go for it on fourth down (twice in the game). He has turned into the vocal leader on the team.
"I think what we have here are kids who get along and fight for each other," Doll said. "They're playing for their community and for their school."
The Bison were able to run just 15 offensive plays in the first half, while the Grens controlled the clock by running 36. Meyer rushed 21 times for 118 yards in the first half, while BG managed just 3 first downs.
The Bison got something going, trailing 14-0 in the fourth quarter. They drove 61 yards in 9 plays and scored on John Angotti's 1-yard run with 2:35 left in the game.
A 3-yard gain by Meyer on fourth-and-1 at the Bison 41 sealed the verdict, in the final 90 seconds. With BG out of timeouts, the Grens ran out the clock.
"We weren't functioning offensively," BG coach Jim Farrell said.
Missing were offensive linemen Andrew Busse and Greg Sanders, both out with injuries.
"We were too sporadic," Farrell said. "We had two 3-and-outs, and they were able to take 3-4 yards at a time.
"When you lose in week 9, it puts a damper on the season," Farrell said. "I'm proud of the seniors. Those are kids I'm proud to have coached.
"I know a lot of things have to go our way (to earn a playoff spot)," Farrell said, "but you never know.
"We went from 3-6 to 5-4. Our seniors deserved a little bit better for their four years," Farrell said.