Hoffman Estates slips by Rolling Meadows
Hoffman Estates used a high-scoring first half and then a stubborn second-half defense to hold off host Rolling Meadows Friday night.
The Hawks turned away the Mustangs twice in the fourth quarter to hold on for a narrow 34-32 win in the Mid-Suburban League crossover football game.
Junior quarterback Aiden Cyr sparkled, completing 20 of 34 passes for 434 yards with 1 interception and 4 touchdown passes.
Cyr, who stands 6-foot 4, was able to look over the Mustangs' defense to find his receivers.
"We had a lot of mistakes in week one and we had to fix those," said Cyr. "Everyone was focused on tonight's game and we executed our plays. I trusted my 'O' line and they gave me the protection. The receivers did a great job getting into position."
Jashawn Johnson caught 6 passes for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Hawks. Sophomore Stephon Sellers snared 10 passes for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Hoffman Estates' (1-1) offensive of line Lucas Mytych, Eddie Resendez, Laduan Jones, Burton Reed-Bonilla along with subs Jorge Mathias and Jonathan Mayfield gave Cyr plenty of protection.
"Mathias and Mayfield came in when a couple of our linemen were injured," said Hawks coach Tim Heyse. "Our young linemen really stepped up. We just plugged away. Cyr played very well tonight. We just keep fighting and fighting."
Yashua Pettis-Taylor gave the Hawks a 7-0 lead with 8:22 left in the first quarter on a 6-yard run. Taylor would go on to rush 22 times for 151 yards.
The Mustangs (0-2) countered when quarterback Evan Grace (17-for-24, 279 yards) threw a 10-yard pass to Ethan Groak to pull within 7-6.
On the Hawks' next possession Cyr connected with Sellers for a 51-0yard score and a 13-6 lead.
In the first half's last 1:43 each team scored corresponding touchdowns.
Michael Brigham caught a 39-yard touchdown from Grace. Johnson grabbed a 13-yard pass from Cyr for a 20-13 lead with 51 seconds left.
Brigham pulled in a 71-yard pass from Grace to tie the score at 20. Cyr connected with Johnson again, this time for 65 yards and a 27-20 lead.
Cyr hit Sellers with a 64-yard pass for a 34-20 lead midway through the third quarter.
Grace connected once more with Groark, this time with a 31-yard pass, cutting the lead to 34-26.
The Mustangs' final score came with 8:04 left in the game on Travis Pickett's 6-yard run. A chance to tie the game went awry on the 2-point conversion when the snap from center did not make connections.
"In the fourth quarter our coaches made the right calls," said Hoffman defensive tackle Eddie Latanaskas. "We had to go all out. We had to execute on the plays, which we did. We came up with the big plays."
Mustangs coach Sam Baker was pleased with the improvement from week one to week two.
"It was little things that cost us," said Baker. "We improved from week one to week two. There are some details that we have to fix. Grace became a great playmaker tonight."