Rolling Meadows takes charge over Buffalo Grove
Rolling Meadows' football team found itself in the driver's seat after a come-from-behind 26-19 Mid-Suburban East victory over visiting Buffalo Grove on Friday at Robert A. Hoese Athletic Field.
The victory gives the Mustangs (6-2, 4-0) at least a share of the East title, and the edge in the standings over BG (5-3, 3-1) and Prospect (7-1, 3-1) in the East, with next week's season finale at Prospect left to decide the division champion. Meadows also officially clinched its seventh consecutive playoff berth.
The Mustangs' Jimmy Garoppolo wasn't bothered by the fourth straight week of less-than-ideal field conditions.
He completed his final 9 passes and finished 13-of-21 for 219 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also rushed for 120 yards and 1 touchdown on 27 carries.
"We are as Jimmy plays," said Meadows coach Doug Millsaps.
BG, while playoff eligible, considers next week's game against Elk Grove as a must-win, since 5 wins may not guarantee the Bison a playoff berth.
"We don't want to leave anything to chance," said BG coach Jim Farrell. "We're looking for 6 wins."
At halftime, the Bison were headed toward No. 6, thanks to a 15-yard Mike Garrity to John Angotti pass for a 6-0 lead with 7:55 left in the first quarter and the only points of the first half.
Meadows tied the score on its first possession of the second half.
Garoppolo capped a 7-play, 70-yard drive with a 20-yard scoring pass to Marius Salkauskas (4 catches, 54 yards).
John Sullivan's interception gave Meadows good field position, and Garoppolo scored on a 1-yard sneak with 3:21 left to give the Mustangs a 12-6 lead.
That's when the mud-fest turned into a big-play bonanza.
Angotti started the fireworks by returning the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown, working his way down the right sideline around and through the Meadows' kick coverage.
Meadows bounced back with a 12-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 15-yard burst up the middle by Erick Louis-Charles, best known as a force on the defensive line. Louis-Charles also ran the conversion, giving Meadows a 20-13 lead with 9:39 left in the game.
"It's great," Garoppolo said. "He doesn't go down from the first hit."
After Dan Lowry's tackle stopped Garrity short of a first down on fourth-and-8, the Mustangs struck for a 66-yard bomb to Tony Taibi (3 catches, 87 yards), who outfought Angotti for the ball and outraced him to the goal line.
"Tony's got some jets," Garoppolo said. "This summer, he got so much faster."
"Coach Millsaps called that play," Taibi said. "It was a perfect ball on the outside. He (Angotti) had great position on me."
Garrity made it 26-19 when he hit Mike Cornely in stride for a 60-yard touchdown with 4:40 remaining.
"We were so sporadic on offense," Farrell said. "We couldn't keep our defense off the field, and that's inexcusable."
"I thought we dominated on both sides of the line," Millsaps said.