Elgin escapes West Chicago in overtime
With running back Brandon Bridges on the sidelines with an injury, Xavier Bonds knew it was his time to step up.
And the Elgin junior did just that in a big way.
Switching to tailback from his normal wide receiver position, Bridges scored on a 10-yard sweep in overtime and then ran in the 2-point conversion to give the visiting Maroons a 28-27 win over West Chicago.
Both teams came into the Upstate Eight Conference matchup winless through the first four weeks.
"That was a good victory," Bridges said. "You just have to put in the work and we have to continue to work hard. It didn't come easy.
"Brandon got hurt and I told coach to put me at running back. I want to win and I had to sacrifice for my team. Coach trusted me and he gave me the ball."
Bonds, who was held without a catch in the first half, had earlier hauled in a 42-yard touchdown reception from Jeffery Lomax to give Elgin a 20-14 lead halfway through the fourth quarter. Bonds finished with 4 catches for 80 yards.
"(Xavier) wants it so bad," said Elgin coach Anthony Mason, whose team lost in overtime to the Wildcats last fall. "He's a passionate kid, he wants to win so bad, he wants to be elite so bad. And I can understand that because I was like that."
West Chicago (0-5, 0-5) sent the game into the extra session with a 29-yard scoring run by Jordan Garcia, who rushed for 84 of his 110 yards in the final two quarters and overtime. But the potential go-ahead extra point was blocked by Jaylan Chaney.
The home team then got the ball first in overtime and converted when quarterback Luke Krogh found Mike Wagner for a 10-yard strike on third down. Alex Resindiz tacked on the extra point.
"Jordan has been strong for us, but this was a breakout game," West Chicago coach Jack Rustman said. "It was a rough first half for us and that was what kept us from doing the things we wanted to do. In overtime 10 yards is tough to defend. They went for 2 with a dive play; there is no science behind that, just pure grit. My hat is off to Elgin."
Elgin (1-4, 1-4) led 12-0 at halftime thanks to a pair of TD runs by Bridges, who gained 105 yards on 13 carries before being hurt in the third quarter on defense. The Wildcats answered with a 4-yard touchdown rush by Santiago Barbosa and a 2-yard score by Garcia.
"It's a definite positive for our season," Mason said. "We've been looking for one. We've had plays here, a series here, a quarter here. It was a great fight. West Chicago was well prepared and they had scouted us well."