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Super performance lifts Schaumburg past Rolling Meadows

First Schaumburg honored the memory of "superfan" Joe Neally in a classy pregame ceremony.

Then the Saxons went out and played a game that would have made him proud.

Schaumburg defeated visiting Rolling Meadows 14-13 after memorializing Neally, an avid Saxons sports booster and a well-known figure at the school.

He passed away earlier this year at age 69, and Schaumburg made sure Friday that his spirit would live on by establishing a permanent seat in the stands in his name - right underneath the press box at Gary Scholz Stadium.

"Everyone shows up for a Friday night football game or a Friday night basketball game," said Schaumburg coach Mark Stilling, "but you'd go to something like a 9 a.m. water polo match, and there he'd be. Mr. Neally was such a positive influence on so many people at our school. He really cared a ton about the kids, and this was just a small gesture to make sure his family knows how much he meant to us."

On the field, Schaumburg fell behind early after a 1-yard plunge by Mustangs running back Kevin Lacosse gave Meadows a 7-0 first-quarter lead.

The Mustangs were on the doorstep again just minutes later when Schaumburg junior linebacker Matthew Eaker made the play of the game.

Eaker stopped Lacosse on a fourth-and-1 from the Schaumburg 17, turning the contest around and giving the momentum to the Saxons.

"I just had to do what I had to do," said Eaker, "but I couldn't have done it without my teammates. Our defensive line played big the whole game."

Schaumburg took control of the game at that point, and scores by Eaker (a 1-yard run) in the second quarter and another from Bernard Payne (a 6-yard pass from quarterback Justin Perez) in the third quarter staked the home team to a 14-7 lead.

Then the Saxons defense, which played tough from the very first whistle, really came alive after a botched punt snap - their second of the game - gave Meadows the ball at the Saxons' 10.

After a run by Meadows quarterback Asher O'Hara and then an O'Hara completion to Devonte Amos netted only 1 yard, Schaumburg's Julian Akogu and Tyler Fredrickson combined on a sack to force the Mustangs back to the 21. From there, O'Hara couldn't connect on a fourth-down pass.

"I couldn't be prouder of the defensive effort of these kids tonight," said Stilling. "They responded and responded, and that's what champions do. They resisted the temptation to try to go out and make things happen and just went out and did their jobs."

Meadows finally broke through with just a little over a minute remaining when a 3-yard touchdown toss from O'Hara to Jose Camacho brought the score to 14-13.

The Mustangs were in an eerily similar situation last week, when they went for 2 and converted to give them a 1-point win over St. Viator.

This time, though, they elected to kick the extra point for the tie - but a ferocious Saxons rush forced the kick wide left.

A final onside kick attempt by Meadows was snatched out of the air by Schaumburg junior Terrance Gray to preserve the victory.

"What an amazing feeling," said Gray of the recovery and the win. "It was all about my teammates tonight. They were great, and I was happy I was just able to play a part."

After the final horn sounded, Mustangs coach Matt Mishler gave a lot of the credit to the gritty play of the home team.

"I thought they controlled the game most of the way through, especially their defense," said Mishler. "We've got to get better offensively, and I've got to do a better job of coaching."

Perez completed 13 passes for 141 yards for Schaumburg, while kicker Mason Laramie kept the Mustangs pinned in their own territory for much of the second half with some booming punts and kickoffs.

"This was a very big win," said Eaker. "This might have decided our season. Meadows is a great team and they're probably going to win the (MSL) East, so to beat them tonight gives us a lot of momentum."

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