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Bartlett wins wild one over Streamwood, 59-58

Held scoreless in its season opener 7 days earlier, Bartlett's football team lit up the scoreboard with 59 points Friday night against Streamwood.

And the Hawks (1-1, 1-1) needed every one of them.

Quarterback Jacob Scearce's 34-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Gabe Bemont with 1:39 remaining in the fourth quarter, and Krish Agrawal's extra-point kick provided the winning points during the Hawks' improbable 59-58 Upstate Eight Conference victory over the Sabres (1-1, 1-1) in Bartlett.

Linebacker Dominic Harris' fumble recovery at the Sabres' 42-yard line with 1:10 left sealed the deal for the Hawks, as the two teams combined for 117 points and 40 first downs.

"I haven't experienced anything like that," said Hawks coach Matt Erlenbaugh. "It was good to come out with a victory in that one."

Trailing 58-45 with 5:19 remaining, the Hawks closed the gap to 58-52 on Bemont's 20-yard TD catch of a Scearce pass with 4:25 left.

Following a defensive stand - one of the few in the game by either team - Bartlett marched 70 yards in 6 plays to take the lead for good on Scearce's 4th touchdown pass of the night.

Bemont finished with 5 catches for 114 yards and 3 TDs as the Hawks celebrated an emotional win.

Two students, including junior starting offensive lineman Alex Czerwik, were killed in an automobile crash last month.

"The first thing I said yesterday when we were talking as a team was that this wasn't for us," said Bemont. "It was to prove our love for Alex (Czerwik) is stronger than what we show on the field.

"I don't know what happened. I guess some miracle happened. Alex touched his hand down on us."

The win overshadowed an amazing performance from the Sabres' triple-option offense.

Backs Isaac Martinez (29 carries, 226 yards), Michael Estrada (33 carries, 196 yards) and Taro Ishikawa (18 carries, 87 yards) combined for 509 of the Sabres' 515 yards rushing.

"We took them to within two yards of winning that game," said Streamwood coach Keith McMaster, whose team was denied its first win over Bartlett since 2002. "We were right there.

"But that's not our end goal. Our goal wasn't beating Bartlett. Our end goal is to make the playoffs. We've got to learn from it and get better."

Bartlett's James Knight finished with 6 carries for 208 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns, while adding another on an 83-yard kickoff return in the opening quarter.

"James played like a man tonight," said Erlenbaugh. "Our entire offensive unit was outstanding."

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