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Big night for DiGioia as Schaumburg tops Wheeling

Schaumburg and Mike DiGioia had a big night Friday in Wheeling.

Schaumburg came into the Mid-Suburban League crossover football game with only 3 touchdowns as team this season. DiGioia, a four-year starter for the Saxons, erased that by himself. He scored 5 touchdowns as Schaumburg won its first game of the season in a 54-20 win over Wheeling.

DiGioia, who rushed for 194 yards on 9 carries, had touchdown runs of 18, 25, 24 and 79 yards. He also had an 95-yard kickoff return for the Saxons. Fred Takumi had 18 carries for 196 yards, added 3 touchdowns for Schaumburg (1-5) on runs of 38, 12 and 16 yards.

They were able to pick up those yards thanks to the strong play of linemen Alex Reyes, Dillon Najjar, Kevin McIntyre, Mike Connolly and Tyler Clendenning.

"I am super proud of our seniors," Schaumburg coach Mark Stilling said. "They had adversity all over the place. There were a lot of things to overcome in a short amount of time."

Wheeling (0-6) had another strong game from quarterback Solomon Hudson (10-of-22, 153 yards). The junior had 2 touchdowns passing, throwing 18 yards to Joe Jordan and 79 yards to Joe Mitroi. Hudson also had a 1-yard touchdown run.

Hoffman Estates 52, Rolling Meadows 37:

Hoffman Estates finished its season strong and broke a two-game losing streak by exploding for a season-high 52 points in what some termed the "Rucks Bowl" after longtime Hoffman head coach and current Rolling Meadows assistant coach Jim Rucks.

Hoffman Estates (3-3) got a huge performance from quarterback Joe Ayala, who was 22-of-27 for 320 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ayala also rushed for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ayala had touchdown passes to Jaylen West, Elijah Figueroa (6 catches, 109 yards) and Yoshua Pettis-Taylor. He also threw a pair of conversion passes to Jashawn Johnson (12 catches, 124 yards).

Mehki Williams (14 carries, 85 yards) and Jessie Williams each had touchdown runs for Hoffman Estates, which had 580 yards of total offense.

"Our seniors really stepped up," Hoffman coach Tim Heyse said. "Our offensive line really set the tone and we were able to run and pass to keep them off balance."

Michael Radon threw for 253 yards and 3 touchdowns for Rolling Meadows (2-4).

New Trier 35, Maine West 20:

This game was literally pulled together at the last minute when St. Charles East canceled with New Trier and Glenbrook South canceled with Maine West due to COVID-19 protocols.

New Trier (5-1) built a 35-0 lead on a trio of touchdown runs by Tyler Hardin, a 7-yard touchdown pass from Hardin to Nevan Cremascol and a touchdown run by Brody Roth.

Maine West, which had not played a game since Week 4 due to COVID protocols, got things going in the final quarter. The Warriors (1-3) got touchdown runs of 19 and 5 yards from Kamrin Hutt, a 2-point conversion run from Claudio Castellanos and a 75-yard scamper from Connor McAndrews.

Niles West 36, Maine East 10:

Niles West broke its 24-game losing streak in Skokie. Sam Burns scored 4 touchdowns for Niles West (1-5). Maine East (0-6) trailed 36-0. The Blue Demons scored a safety on a bad snap on a punt and then Tristan Walton took the ensuing free kick back 60 yards for a touchdown.

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