West Aurora shares in victory
Quintez Jones is the quarterback of the future for West Aurora.
The sophomore, who alternated with fellow signal-callers Curtis Townsend and Richie Renner in the Blackhawks' season finale against Glenbard East Friday night, hit Anthony Oros on the fly for a 70-yard scoring strike two minutes into the fourth quarter in the teams' DuPage Valley Conference football game.
It proved to be the only second-half points of the game as the Blackhawks held on for the 17-14 victory in Aurora.
"We had a double post pattern called," said Jones, who also connected with Cole Childs in the first half on a 34-yard touchdown strike. "I saw (Oros) all by himself with no safety help. (Oros) happened to be wide open. (The play) worked out real well."
On a night when West Aurora virtually self-destructed with 18 penalties for 177 yards, the Blackhawks' defense repeatedly came to the rescue.
West Aurora (4-5, 2-5) harassed Glenbard East quarterback Joe Kotch all evening, recording 4 sacks and 11 total plays for losses.
Brandon Warren, the Blackhawks' star three-year linebacker, opened the scoring by trapping a Glenbard East ball-carrier in the end zone for a safety.
Warren would bookend his performance with a critical fourth-down sack late in the fourth quarter.
"On the safety the coach (defensive coordinator Tony Melchiori) called a blitz and the gap was right there," Warren said. "It was a good way to start my last game as a Blackhawk."
But the Rams' defense had an equally stingy attitude, and Markel Brackett blocked a West Aurora punt late in the first quarter to reverse the prime field position the Blackhawks had enjoyed for the first 10-plus minutes.
Glenbard East (1-8, 0-7) would subsequently score on its next two possessions, with Kotch cashing in on third-down conversions with 24- and 31-yard scoring strikes to wideout Mike Fahey.
The first score gave Glenbard East a 7-2 lead after the successful extra point, but West Aurora answered behind Jones to take back the lead.
Overcoming five penalties on the drive, Jones hit Childs on a third-and-16 from the Rams' 34-yard line to complete the 13-play march.
Booker Ross, who led all rushers with 90 punishing inside yards in 22 carries, had a 2-point conversion to give West Aurora a 10-7 lead.
But the Blackhawks were assessed a 15-yard penalty for excessively celebrating Childs' score, and the Rams made them pay when Fahey burned the West Aurora secondary with 3 minutes, 47 seconds left before the break.
West Aurora limited Glenbard East to 20 yards rushing in 27 attempts.
"Our defense was phenomenal," West Aurora coach Nate Eimer said.