Schaumburg tops Elk Grove, savors 3-1 start
Schaumburg is clearly enjoying itself on the football field this year.
And why not? The Saxons have already tripled their win total from last season.
They improved to 3-1 Saturday evening with a resounding 35-13 victory over host Elk Grove at Robert E. Haskell Stadium in Mid-Suburban League divisional crossover action.
The Saxons suffered through a 1-win campaign in 2014, but things are definitely looking up - make that, way up - lately.
"It's exciting," said Schaumburg senior offensive lineman Payton Buchanan, who led a superior effort in the trenches by the visitors. "This was a huge win, but we've got to stay strong. We've got another big game coming up next week (against Barrington)."
Running back Emmanuel Little rushed for 135 yards and teammate Olijah Sally added 116 yards on the ground for the winners, and lineman John Serio says he has no doubt about why his team is succeeding.
"It's all about practice," said Serio. "Our practices are so much more intense than last year, more serious. We're legit, but we can't just settle for what we've already achieved. We've got to keep working hard."
Azeez Alabi rushed for 84 yards for Elk Grove, which held a 7-0 lead in the second quarter lead but couldn't sustain the effort.
"You've got to give all the credit to Schaumburg," said Grenadiers coach John Sigmund. "They played very well tonight."
Grens quarterback AJ Lorenz connected to Josh Collier on the first play of the second quarter to open the scoring.
Then two second-quarter interceptions by Saxons defensive back Daniel Galovich helped Schaumburg score twice - on a 73-yard run right through the A-gap by Sally, then on an 8-yard run by Little - to take a 14-7 halftime lead.
The Saxons took control for good in the third quarter as Sally scored from 1 yard out. Little then caught a well-executed screen pass from quarterback Justin Perez and weaved his way into the end zone from 21 yards away.
A 32 yard touchdown run by Schaumburg's Dakari Ferguson in the fourth quarter, then a 2-yard plunge from Elk Grove's Peter Green accounted for the final score.
The game had been postponed from Friday to Saturday due to lightning after only 2 minutes and 50 seconds had been played, and Saxons coach Mark Stilling said he was most impressed by how his team handled the wait.
"The funny thing is," said Stilling, "I think the kids were more focused today than they were yesterday. I can't say enough about the amount of poise they showed between yesterday about 7, when the game was delayed, to the start of the game today. From top to bottom they showed the kind of poise that is rare in high school kids."
Lorenz threw for 149 yards for the Grens (0-4) while receiver Joe Gatziolis caught 7 passes for 92 yards.
"We talked a lot to the kids," said Sigmund, in reference to the almost 24-hour delay between snaps in the first quarter. "We only worry about the people in our locker room, and we'll play anywhere, against anyone, at any time of day."
"We take positives out of every game we play, and I couldn't be prouder of the effort and the attitude of the kids tonight. We've just got to get better at sustaining our energy from the start and carrying it over to the rest of the game, and we'll get on the winning side."