Perry, Glenbard East rally to tie late, then picks off South Elgin in OT
Though listed as a defender, Montii Perry had done most of his damage for Glenbard East while running the ball.
But his natural position made the difference in overtime of Friday’s Upstate Eight crossover game against South Elgin in Lombard.
Perry intercepted Oliver Johnston on the first play of the extra session, then ran the ball twice to set up a 23-yard field goal by Moises Velazquez that bounced through the crossbar, giving the Rams (6-3) a 27-24 victory and the Storm (7-2) their first loss since Week 2 against St. Charles North.
“I know what we need to do,” said Perry, who had 50 yards on 20 carries. “And I had to go get that ball for my team to get the win. That’s what we did.”
With no points yet scored in the fourth quarter, and the Rams holding a 21-17 lead, the Storm took the ball for one last gasp. An 80-yard drive culminated in Johnston hitting Semaj Collier (72 yards receiving) for a 5-yard touchdown with 43.2 seconds left, putting them in front, 24-21.
With the Rams desperate, Carter Pohlman (239 yards) completed a 64-yard pass to Mason Wright, setting up Velazquez to kick a 34-yard field goal that forced overtime.
“We’ve been in these spots before,” Glenbard East coach John Walters said. “And we’re a winning program. Our guys believe in the process, and they believe what we’re doing. We just needed an opportunity. We got an opportunity.”
Malachi Miller had first-quarter touchdowns on both an 80-yard punt return and a 90-yard run called back on Rams penalties.
Pohlman finally opened the game’s scoring with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Mason Wright, giving the Rams a 7-0 lead.
That lead was short-lived as the Storm took advantage of numerous defensive penalties on the subsequent possession and tied the score on Johnston’s 5-yard touchdown throw to Julian Huerta (120 yards receiving).
Glenbard East recovered in the second quarter on a 34-yard touchdown run by Perry, who had been stuffed on his first two carries, losing 13 yards.
Danny Moscoso got South Elgin closer with a 26-yard field goal with 2:37 left in the quarter, and a missed 50-yard field-goal attempt by the Rams made the score 14-10 at halftime.
The Storm pounced on the second play of the second half. Johnston (147 yards) pitched to Collier, who then threw a pass to an open Huerta, who had enough space to complete the 65-yard touchdown and give them their first lead at 17-14.
“We’re trying to just get our playmakers the ball,” said South Elgin coach Pat Pistorio. “We needed some life there. We were struggling offensively, and (it) felt like the right thing to do at that time.”
It appeared that would be the only score of the third quarter until Pohlman, taking advantage of defensive penalties, hit Jaiden Javier for a go-ahead 32-yard touchdown pass with 6.2 seconds left.