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West Aurora ends year with momentum

The sporting cliché is that West Aurora and Glenbard East were playing for pride on Friday night in the final game of the season, with both football teams already eliminated from the postseason.

But the Blackhawks and Rams put on an end-to-end display that showed there is talent surrounding the hearts of the players in these programs - though mistakes caught up to Glenbard East and big plays benefited West Aurora in a 45-35 Blackhawks victory.

"That's a complete football game," West Aurora coach Nate Eimer said. "We've been waiting to have it all year, and we clicked in Week 9."

The win is the Blackhawks' third straight, the first time since the start of the 2002 season the team has had such a win streak. After starting 0-4, West Aurora finished the season 4-5 - the four Upstate Eight River victories being the most conference wins for the program since 1995.

"I couldn't be more proud of this team, the coaches and the players for keeping in there fighting," Eimer said.

Glenbard East (3-6, 1-6) lost for the fifth straight time after a promising start to the season.

"Since we've gotten into conference play, it's been the same movie over and over again," Glenbard East coach John Walters said. "Explosion plays - we turned the ball over and gave up a touchdown and we end up down on the scoreboard. We play in every game, fight our tails off and don't give in. We're right there, but we're a play here and a play there from coming out on top."

The first key big play came on the final play of the first half, when Glenbard East elected to kick to West Aurora's DaQuon Cross, who fielded the kick at his 18, broke free and ran to the end zone for an 82-yard kickoff return to put the Blackhawks ahead 17-14 at halftime.

Glenbard East rallied with a 57-yard pass from Philip Abruzino to Joey Moore early in the third quarter, and when Abruzino scored on a 23-yard keeper late in the quarter, the Rams had a 28-17 lead.

Things got worse for West Aurora when the Blackhawks return player fielded the ensuing kickoff at the 1-yard line and stepped out of bounds.

The next 45 seconds decided the contest. First West Aurora quarterback Johnathon Doyle moved the ball to the 2-yard line. Then DaVion Cross broke tackles at the line of scrimmage, seemed stopped at the 40-yard line and broke free again, then ran the final 50 yards untouched for a 98-yard touchdown run.

On the next series, DaQuon Cross intercepted an Abruzino pass on the right sideline and raced 48 yards to give the Blackhawks a 31-28 lead entering the fourth quarter.

"DaVion's run was one of the best I've seen in a while," Eimer said. "That picked us up. You felt the momentum swing. Then his brother goes and gets the pick and it changed everything right there."

West Aurora continued to move the ball and scored a pair of Doyle touchdowns before Abruzino added a late score for the Rams.

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