Streamwood celebrates 2OT win over Fenton
To see Streamwood's players celebrate on Millennium Field, then sprint to their locker room to continue that celebration, it looked like a playoff win.
The Sabres' 28-21 Upstate Eight Conference victory over visiting Fenton in double overtime was maybe prelude to that, one of their veteran leaders hoped.
"We haven't won two games in a row since 2011," said senior offensive guard Josh Leathers. "This is the first time, we're making history. (Streamwood's) 2011 is a team that made the playoffs, so we're hoping that's what we're going to do."
With Streamwood (2-1, 2-1) leading 28-21 on Davidas Petreikis' 4-yard run and Angel Acosta's kick, Fenton (2-1, 2-1) began its second overtime possession. On second down the Bison appeared to have scored on a Nick Benn touchdown pass, but a penalty brought it back.
Another pass feel incomplete. The next play also was a pass, a rollout right. Streamwood cornerback Jakobe Strong's full-extension diving interception set off Streamwood's celebration.
"I'm not going to lie, I was worried right before that happened," Leathers said. "I was thinking, Oh man, the offense is going to have to go back in. And then I saw that and I just didn't know what to think. I'm like, it's done, we're finally there."
Taking a toss from quarterback Andrew Phan and sweeping left from his right wingback spot, Petreikis scored on his second carry of the game. Streamwood - which threw the ball just once, late in the second quarter trying to cut Fenton's 14-7 halftime lead - otherwise rode the legs of Phan, tailback Sirrion Dixon and wingback Buddy Martinez.
Dixon ran for 117 yards on 24 carries while Martinez ran for 132 yards on 21 carries. His 6-yard touchdown run tied the score 7-7 early in the second quarter and his 18-yarder made it 14-14 with 6:11 left in the fourth quarter.
"At halftime we're down a touchdown, you just look at them, you say, you guys have committed yourself November through August and all that off-season stuff, this is what it comes down to. We work this stuff in the summer, the 10-yard stuff in overtime. It shows," said Streamwood coach Don Guindon.
Fenton's Andre Bess ran 29 times for 160 yards. His 35-yard touchdown run opened the scoring, and he scored the Bison's touchdown in the first overtime on a 4-yard run.
Twice, however, Fenton drove deep into Streamwood territory without scoring. A first-quarter possession went 80 yards; a 51-yard third-quarter drive stalled at the Sabres' 8-yard line, like the other.
"Let's not take anything away from (Streamwood), they played their butts off and they play hard, they did a great job. That was that. And we had two red-zone possessions that we didn't capitalize on, and that was the difference in the football game," said Fenton coach Matthew Lynch. "That's really what it comes down to. When you're building a program and you're teaching them how to win, those are the things in tight ballgames that you cannot afford to let happen, and we allowed that to happen tonight."