Iannotti on the mark for Schaumburg
For the first time in Schaumburg coach Mark Stilling's six seasons, he had a quarterback with a perfect passing percentage in a game.
Mark Iannotti didn't miss a receiver in 12 attempts at Hoffman Estates on Friday night and the Saxons didn't miss their chance to tie for first in the Mid-Suburban West with a 56-14 triumph.
Schaumburg and Fremd finished at 4-1 atop the standings and Iannotti was on top of his game for the regular-season finale.
The 6-foot-3 senior found seven receivers for 140 yards while also scoring 3 touchdowns and passing for one.
"It feels real good," Iannotti said. "All the credit goes to the offensive line (Nick Nykaza, Mike Baumhart, Matt Zolper, Jon Moore and Kyle Pollock, who scored a TD with a fumble recovery in the end zone). I had all the time in the world.
"And my receivers stepped up and caught everything. They made it real easy for me."
Iannotti wasn't the only perfect passer for Schaumburg.
The Saxons (7-2) threw in a little razzle-dazzle as running back Shepard Little (98 yards, 13 carries) took a pitch, then pulled up and threw a 53-yard TD strike to guess who?
Yes, Iannotti caught the perfect toss on the run and raced into the end zone.
He also got into the end zone on TD runs of 1 and 10 yards and threw a 3-yard TD pass to Bob Quilico.
"I thought our kids stayed composed except for being a little shaky on defense that first drive (Hawks' Jason Sumling threw a 39-yard pass to Mike DeNight to complete an 83-yard march)," Stilling said.
"But Mark (Iannotti) executed well, the offensive line got the job done and we never punted in the game for the first time this season."
Saxons junior Brandon Kibby, who rushed for 100 yards, scored on a 13-yard scamper to make it 49-7 and start the running clock with 1:13 left in the third quarter.
Hoffman senior Jermaine Moore put up the Hawks' final points with a 2-yard TD run before Saxons junior Kyle Lamberty (93 yards, 8 carries) capped the scoring on a 6-yard run with 4:25 left.
"Even though our record wasn't the best, it felt good to go out there and play as a team each week and to grow as a family," Moore said.
"It was tough (to finish the season) but I think we kind of turned the corner with our program," said Hawks coach Bill Helzer. "The kids learned what it takes to compete and even though it doesn't reflect on the varsity level, our sophomore and freshman teams each went 5-4."
The Hawks (1-8, 1-4) have 25 seniors who hadn't won a game until last week's victory over Conant.
"These kids worked hard and never gave up," Helzer said. "They played with a lot of heart and emotion. I give them credit. It says a lot about the coaches on our staff and these kids."