Defense wins it for West Chicago

Football can be a crazy game.

Limited to 1 first down through the first three quarters, West Chicago's offense was unable to find its footing on a rain-soaked, mud-caked field at East Aurora on Friday night.

Instead, the Wildcats (1-3, 1-0) turned to their defense.

Senior defensive back Justin Yackey raced 80 yards with an interception return for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to give the Wildcats their first lead. A late interception by teammate Cliff Kim helped set up another score during their 16-13 Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division victory over East Aurora (1-3, 0-2).

Preparing to plant his right foot, Tomcats quarterback Andre Pearson slipped and the ball sailed into the waiting arms of Yackey on the fourth-and-3 play from the Wildcats' 30-yard line.

"I probably should have batted it down," Yackey said. "It was fourth down, and that's what you're taught to do when it's a deep ball, but I caught it. I took it and just ran with it. Everybody else made key blocks and I was able to score."

"A defensive score always helps," said Wildcats coach Ted Monken, whose team rebounded from a 62-0 loss to St. Charles North one week earlier.

"I can't say enough about our seniors and them coming back every week willing to work, willing to improve, willing to do better and not give up," the coach added.

Kim also returned his interception into the end zone, but the touchdown was negated by a block-in-the-back penalty on the Wildcats.

Two plays later, junior tailback David Poisson scored on a 10-yard run to extend the Wildcats' lead to 14-7 with 2:04 remaining.

Quarterback Lucas Seeman then connected with Mikey Bibbs on a 2-point pass conversion that gave the Wildcats a two-possession lead at 16-7.

The 2-point play loomed large after the Tomcats marched 80 yards in 6 plays, scoring on a 18-yard TD pass from Pearson to DeShaun Laughlin to make it 16-13 with 32 seconds remaining.

However, the subsequent onside kick failed to travel 10 yards, and Seeman took a knee on the next snap to seal the victory.

"It was very slippery out here, but it was fun," Yackey said. "It was a great win."

East Aurora held a commanding 337-103 edge in total yards but was unable to overcome its 5-1 turnover deficit.

Tailback Nasir Phillips gave the Tomcats a 7-0 lead on his 39-yard TD run early in the second quarter before the Wildcats got on the board with a safety off a botched punt from the East Aurora end zone.

"Thank goodness the defense was able to generate some points with the safety," Monken said. "I can't say enough about the punts that Jacob Wiegele made pinning them deep. That gave us a chance to flip the field. It made a difference."