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St. Charles North beats rival to clinch playoff berth

There was a back-to-back feeling for St. Charles North's football team Friday night.

Outscoring crosstown rival St. Charles East 31-3 over the final 3 quarters after falling behind early, the North Stars (6-2, 3-2) punched their ticket to the state playoffs for the second consecutive year with a 31-10 Upstate Eight Conference River Division victory at Norris Stadium.

"That's what it is all about," said North Stars coach Rob Pomazak of the team's postseason return. "It is the best feeling that I can get professionally. I'm happy for the kids - they deserve this. We're not easy on our guys.

"When you set a goal and achieve it, it stays with you the rest of your life. For these guys to get it two years in a row, that's awesome."

St. Charles East (3-5, 3-3), fighting for its own playoff bid, grabbed a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter on a 3-yard touchdown run by senior tailback Cam Canales (17 carries, 104 yards).

The 15-play, 75-yard drive was aided by a special teams penalty during a 38-yard field goal attempt by Nick Candre.

St. Charles North got on the board with 2:24 left in the second quarter on a 32-yard field goal by Adam Durocher.

Following a 3-and-out series, the North Stars began an 8-play, 63-yard scoring march capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Zach Mettetal (14 of 19, 157 yards) to Jayson Reckards with 38 seconds remaining before halftime.

The drive, which included a crucial 18-yard sideline pass play from Mettetal to Brendan Joyce on 3rd-and-17 from the Saints' 48, enabled the North Stars to take a 10-7 halftime lead.

"You could kind of see the wind was out of their sails a little bit there," said Pomazak.

The North Stars' opportunistic defense responded with several huge plays in the second half.

Senior nose guard Quinn Calcagno recorded a sack to halt the Saints' first offensive possession in the third quarter and senior defensive tackle Dane Baldwin ripped the ball out of the hands of a Saints' running back for a forced fumble a few minutes later.

Mettetal connected with Reckards on a 22-yard TD pass with 1:05 left in the third quarter to make it 17-7.

Candre booted a 22-yard field goal to narrow the gap to 17-10 with 8:26 remaining, then delivered an onside kick that was recovered by teammate DeAndre Allen at the North Stars' 42.

However, that momentum was short-lived as linebacker Liam Kelly recovered a Saints' fumble on the next play.

The North Stars opened a 24/7 lead on Mettetal's 7-yard TD keeper with 4:31 left and Blake Saltsman capped the scoring with an 11-yard interception return for a TD with 2:05 remaining.

"It came down to execution and we didn't execute very well," said Saints coach Bryce Farquhar. "We turned the ball over. This wasn't our best game of the year. We made a lot more mistakes than they did."

"We're all working for the ball at all times," said Calcagno, who plays next to Jack Glavin and Baldwin on the defensive line. "It's a great feeling and a huge win."

"Quinn is an unsung hero," said Pomazak. "He doesn't take a play off. He is why this program is where it is. It's kids like him and Liam Kelly and Billy Duhownik. They've been there since day one."

Images: St. Charles East falls to St. Charles North, 31-10 in football

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