Jacobs drops wild one at Crystal Lake Central

A season that started with such great promise for Jacobs - the Eagles began the year 3-1 and their prospects of playing November football were looking good - came to a crashing halt.

Their last victory, 35-7 at McHenry on September 14, was the 250th in the wonderful career of head coach Bill Mitz.

He's still waiting for number 251.

So on the final weekend of the regular season, it seemed that Jacobs and Crystal Lake Central, both out of the playoffs, decided to get an early start on the hoops season.

The Tigers, behind a spectacular performance by junior quarterback Aidan Ellinger, rallied from 21 points down midway through the third quarter, scored on their last six possessions, including after an onside kick with 1:06 left in the game, to steal a wild 64-60 victory from Jacobs.

And that was in regulation, not overtime.

"That was ... not good," Mitz explained after watching the game slip away. "I've never seen a game like this. It's a tough way for our seniors to go out. It really seemed like the team that had the ball last was going to win, and that's what happened."

In a jaw-dropping performance, Ellinger almost single-handedly carried Crystal Lake Central (4-5, 4-4). The 6-1, 185-pound southpaw connected on 26 of 44 passes - including 13 of his last 17 with the game in the balance - for a whopping 514 yards and four touchdowns. He only used two targets all night: 6-4, 185-pound Anthony Beck, whom he connected with 14 times for 252 yards, and 5-11 Drew Jenkins, whom he found 12 times for 262 yards. Jenkins had three touchdowns (plus another, the game-winner, on a run) and Beck had a pair of TDs.

After Mitz notched that 250th win in week four, three Jacobs starters suffered season-ending knee injuries and that was more than the Eagles could overcome.

The Tigers, on the other hand, were ascending late in the season, winning three out of four heading into the final night.

The Eagles (3-6, 3-5) were not without plenty of bright spots. Junior running back Jacob Mobeck racked up 217 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries, and senior tailback Jake Michels had 90 on 16 totes. But perhaps the brightest spot on a difficult night was freshman running back Nasir Canty, who added 150 yards and three touchdowns in his varsity debut.