Glenbard South loses in final minute
Rich East quarterback Malcolm Miller completed only one pass against host Glenbard South on Friday in a nonconference football clash, but it covered the most important 14 yards of the night.
With only 38 seconds left in the game, Miller found wide receiver Herbert Davis cutting over the middle with a first-down pass from the Glenbard South 14-yard line — and Davis motored into the end zone to cap an 85-yard drive that sealed a 23-19 victory over the Raiders in Glen Ellyn.
“I was just trying to battle through all of the adversity tonight and get my mind in the game and I finally came through at the end,” said Miller, who also added a 17-yard third-quarter touchdown run for the Rockets in a game that was tight throughout.
“It all depends on what the coach sees in the defense, and he called a pass on that play, and we make those pass plays work in practice all of the time,” Miller added.
That lone completion pulled a victory out of Glenbard South’s grasp after the Raiders had taken the lead at 19-15 on quarterback Tyler Padera’s 2-yard sneak with seven minutes left in the game.
Torey Fobbs boomed the kickoff deep to pin the Rockets back at their own 15-yard line, but Rich East proceeded to mount the winning 85-yard drive.
“As a program we haven’t figured out how to take the next step and finish out ballgames,” Glenbard South coach Jeremy Cordell said. “Until we start to do that, we are going to be very mediocre, and we won’t stand for mediocre.
“We played to lose there at the end and you can’t do that,” Cordell added. “We put them in that position, letting them drive 85 yards to win the ballgame. You have to give Rich East credit, because they really battled.”
Glenbard South (1-2) took the lead in the opening quarter, starting a drive on its own 16-yard line after Aaron Kelly recovered a Rich East fumble. Tailback Wes Sanders scored on a 10-yard run to cap the 13-play, 84-yard drive, but the 2-point conversion run failed.
The Raiders appeared headed to halftime with a 6-3 lead after Rich East’s Jeremy Kalonji booted a 21-yard field goal, but Rich East (2-1) scored with six seconds left in the half when Rondell Winningham ambushed a pass route and picked off Padera’s toss near the Rockets’ 20-yard line. Winningham proceeded to race 80 yards for the score and a 9-6 lead.
Sanders opened the second half with a 63-yard kickoff return to the Rockets’ 18-yard line, setting up Padera’s 4-yard touchdown toss to Carl Lane for a 12-9 lead after the extra point failed.
Midway through the third quarter, the Raiders fumbled a punt snap in the end zone and had to try to run for a first down but came up short, giving Rich East good field position at the Glenbard South 14.
Miller took advantage by scampering in from 17 yards with 2:25 left in the third quarter for a 15-12 lead.
After Padera’s fourth-quarter score and Miller’s answering touchdown pass, the Raiders were left to try desperation passes that didn’t connect in the waning seconds.
“We tried to do the best we could with them in their prevent defense,” Sanders said of the last drive. “It was pretty hard, a very tough game. This one is over with and we have to move on.”
Winningham paced the Rockets with 78 yards on 17 carries and a key 2-point conversion run after the Davis touchdown reception, to go along with his interception return and two long kickoff returns into Raiders territory.
Glenbard South played without linebacker Nick Boesso, who underwent surgery Friday on an injured hand and is likely out until the final week of the season at the earliest, Cordell said.