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Schaumburg produces under pressure against Hoffman Estates

When it was fourth down Friday, the Schaumburg football team stepped up to the challenge.

With 20 seconds left in the game and Hoffman Estates driving, the Saxons forced a wide-throw on fourth-and-1 to seal 26-22 victory to improve to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the Mid-Suburban League's West Division.

"We were thinking, end of the game, we need a big stop," Saxons linebacker Ryan Michels said. "It is homecoming week, we had Hoffman our rivals, we are making this stop right here. This play is going to change the season for us."

But is was more than just one big play on fourth down for Schaumburg. On the drive prior for Hoffman Estates, the Hawks faced a fourth-and-1 on the Schaumburg 17, but Michels made a stop in the backfield to give the Saxons a chance as they trailed 22-19.

Manny Little gave the Saxons the lead, pounding the ball in from 6 yards out, breaking a tackle, and putting a hand down to regain his balance before lunging into the end zone. Little also scored in the first quarter and finished with 168 yards.

"One of my teammates on the sideline said, 'I am doing it for you, brother,' " Little said. "That kind of set my mind; you are doing it for me, I am going to do it for you. So I fought for every yard on that play."

That was one of the few times the Saxons scored when it wasn't fourth down.

In the first quarter, Justin Perez had a 34-yard touchdown pass to Olijah Sally on fourth-and-9. In the fourth quarter, Perez found Bernard Payne for a 34-yard score on fourth-and-2.

"I think the biggest thing about Justin, and I say this every week, he is just unbelievably poised," Schaumburg coach Mike Stilling said. "He has played six varsity football games and he looks like he has played 60. His poise is just everything you can ask for out of a leader."

After 3 quarters, Hoffman Estates led 14-13, but the offenses came alive in the fourth as the teams each scored twice.

Keegan Pierce found Brandon Hall for a 52-yard touchdown early in the quarter. Chady Bitre, who finished with 131 yards, scored from 9 yards out with 5:55 left in the game, giving Hoffman Estates a 22-19 lead.

But Manny Little gave Schaumburg enough in the end to pull out the win, rushing for 26 yards on 5 carries on the final Saxons' drive to put his team back on top.

For the second week in a row, Schaumburg got out to a fast start, taking a two-score lead. A fumble recovery, however, by Zavior Stolpa gave the Hawks the momentum they needed to get back into the game.

Shortly after the turnover, Pierce found Hall for a touchdown.

The Saxons will look to for a better finish in the coming weeks as they fight for a playoff spot with a tough slate featuring games against Conant, Palatine and Fremd.

"We face some really good teams but I think this will catapult us for the rest of the season," Michels said.

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