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Sweet-sounding victory as Schaumburg tops Elk Grove

Watching two winless high school football teams battle for their first victory of the season is a lot like witnessing a game of musical chairs.

Both sides will do whatever it takes to be sitting when the music stops.

Schaumburg senior running backs Justice Macneal-Young and Michael Jones did what they had to do to make sure the Saxons were sitting pretty when the clock struck zero Friday night.

The pair combined for all four of their team's touchdowns in a 30-6 homecoming victory over visiting Elk Grove in a Mid-Suburban League crossover contest that improved the Saxons' record to 1-3.

Jones scored on runs of 11, 3 and 10 yards in the second, third and fourth quarters, respectively, and finished with 62 yards rushing on 11 attempts. Meanwhile, Macneal-Young scored his touchdown on a 10-yard pass from senior quarterback Alex Kiszkowski in the third quarter, and finished with three catches for 38 yards. He also added a nifty 86 yards rushing on 25 attempts.

"We started off 0-3 and people doubted us all across the conference, but our last two games we lost by a combined 11 points, they were really close," Macneal-Young said. "(Tonight) we had a really good team win. The O-line battled the whole game and my boy Mike Jones had those three clutch touchdowns."

Jones, along with Macneal-Young, gave hefty credit to offensive linemen Michael Bruno, Tylor Alanis, Brendan Beck and Thomas Karaindros.

"Honestly, you look at the scoreboard," Jones said, gesturing in that direction, "and we put up 30 points, and it's all our offensive line. We're going to put up 30 points when you get the ball and there is a wide-open hole to hit."

The two backs were able to do much of their damage in the third quarter thanks to heady defensive play by their teammates on that side of the ball.

After Jones scored on a 3-yard run up the middle with 5:37 and kicker Nicholas Spadafore added the extra point, the Grenadiers ran one offensive play before putting the ball on the turf, where Schaumburg senior Noah Miller scooped it up.

Ten plays later, Kiszkowski rolled right and hit Macneal-Jones with a pass in the flat, who dragged an Elk Grove tackler into the right corner of the end zone with 44.9 seconds left. Spadafore's extra point gave Schaumburg a 20-6 lead.

A 15-yard Elk Grove personal foul penalty on the extra point ultimately led to a drive that started on the Grens' own 23. On the first play from scrimmage, senior quarterback Sean Fege, in his first-ever varsity start, delivered a pass that was intercepted by Saxons' sophomore Austin Anzelmo.

Six plays later, Spadafore made the score 23-6 with a 24-yard field goal.

But that wasn't all the misery for Elk Grove. The Grenadiers fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, giving Schaumburg the ball at the Elk Grove 26-yard line with 9:53 to go in the game. Five plays later, it was Jones up the middle again, for a 10-yard touchdown. Yet another Spadafore extra point set the final score.

In all, Elk Grove fumbled the ball five times and lost four of them, and committed 10 penalties for 106 yards lost, along with Fege's interception.

"Physically, we're a good football team," Elk Grove coach Larry Calhoun said. "Mentally, I think … I think we're not where we need to be. We've got to be more mentally tough. That was kind of a weak-minded effort.

"We had a tough first two three games, and I think that's worked on their mind. We have to battle back and regain our confidence. It all comes back to mental toughness."

Fege completed 14 of 25 passes for 170 yards, while senior running back Matthew Wary led the Grenadiers with 45 rushes on 15 attempts and added a 3-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Across the field, Schaumburg coach Mark Stilling couldn't have more pleased - and perhaps relieved - that his charges finally had their first win, with Barrington looming next week.

"I thought our offensive line did a nice job of grinding and they stayed after them," Stilling said. "I thought defensively we made stops when we needed to. I just liked the way we battled and I'll tell you what, I told our kids last night, I'm certainly proud of the way they have conducted themselves the last two weeks. I mean, everybody's frustrated. We're couple of plays away. I think we're getting better and tonight showed that."

Was the third quarter the turning point of the season for Schaumburg?

"I'll let you know in five weeks," Stilling said with a smile.

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