Determined effort lifts Schaumburg past Fremd
It didn't take long for Schaumburg's homecoming football game against Mid-Suburban West rival Fremd to become a test of will and determination.
Both teams led, and both rallied from deficits. But Schaumburg had the winning formula for its 17-14 victory. It was made up of equal parts reliable offense, big-play defense and special teams play that gave the Saxons the field position advantage.
The Saxons' offense produced what fans and opposing teams have come to expect. Shepard Little turned in another stellar game, rushing 28 times for 176 yards and a touchdown, and quarterback Mark Iannotti completed 12-of-20 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. Through 5 games, Little has gained 991 yards to lead all area rushers.
Defensively, the Saxons limited Fremd to 238 yards total offense, 84 of which came on a 99-yard drive in the closing minutes of the game. Defensive tackle Joe Zolper had 10 tackles, including 2 sacks and 3 tackles for loss.
"He sets the tone, but it's not just him," Schaumburg coach Mark Stilling said of his 187-pound defensive tackle. "The way we played in the second half, especially the defensive line, I thought the effort was tremendous."
"It boiled down to who wanted it more," Zolper said. "It was an intense game."
Schaumburg's kicking game forced the Vikings (1-4, 0-1) to start from their own 1 in the first quarter and again in the fourth quarter.
Adam Syvertsen's 32-yard field goal with 7:01 left in the second quarter gave Schaumburg (4-1, 1-0) a 3-0 lead.
Fremd's best sustained drive of the first half resulted in an 85-yard, 12-play march that began with 11 consecutive rushes by Justin Wallace (28 carries for 78 yards) and ended with a play-action fake to Wallace and a 35-yard pass from freshman Sam Beutler (10-of-22, 145 yards) to Jeff Diegel for the score, with 49.2 seconds left in the half.
Schaumburg regained the lead at 10-7 on Little's 4-yard run with 57.4 seconds left in the third quarter, and the Saxons made it 17-7 when Iannotti connected with Bob Quilico with a 3-yard scoring pass to cap a 58-yard, 8-play drive with 9:03 left in the game.
"We had to get the momentum," Iannotti said. "Fremd was pushing us around."
Little wasn't hampered by a hip bruise suffered last week against Elk Grove.
"A couple of minutes into the second half, and I forgot about it," Little said.
Starting from the 1 in the final two minutes, Beutler completed third-down passes of 14 and 15 yards to keep the drive alive and found Diegel down the right sideline for 30 yards, giving Fremd first-and-goal from the 4 with 48.1 seconds left.
Beutler ran it in with 37.5 seconds left to cut the margin to 17-14. Fremd's onside kick attempt was unsuccessful, and Schaumburg ran out the clock.
"It was a replay of the Elk Grove game," Fremd coach Mike Donatucci said. "We played well enough in spots. When we play a full game, we can hang with anybody.
"We had our opportunities. It comes down to making plays, and we've been struggling."