Schaumburg hangs on to dump Elk Grove

Posted September 03, 2021 1:00 am

By Lou Nunez Jr. Daily Herald Correspondent

Thanks to some big plays in all three facets of the game: offense, defense, and special teams, Schaumburg held off a late rally from visiting Elk Grove 27-20 in a Mid-Suburban League crossover football game at Gary Scholz Stadium Friday night to leave both teams at 1-1 on the season.

"I thought we got better tonight," Saxons coach Mark Stilling said. "I'm not sure it's the strides we want to make from week one to week two, but we got better."

The healing began for the hosts on their opening drive as senior quarterback D.J. Wilson got things going offensively with a 7-yard TD run to cap off the Saxons' opening drive of the contest. He then found junior running back Omarion Jones on the opening play of quarter number two (39 yards) for the first of two TD passes for a 14-0 advantage. After the Grenadiers sliced that deficit in half on a 74-yard connection between Mitchell Janczak and Brady Tosterud, Schaumburg senior flanker Fabian Baez took the ensuing kickoff 86 yards to put them up 20-7 with 1:53 left in the first half.

Janczak's second TD toss to Lucas Rogers just 3 seconds before halftime pulled them within 20-14.

The host Saxons put themselves back up 13 (27-14) on the second scoring connection between Wilson (10-of-21, 146 yards) to Jones (12 yards) before Janczak started the Grenadier rally with 7:22 left on a 1-yard run that closed the gap to 27-20.

Then, Elk Grove took possession at its own 28 with 5:10 to play and moved the ball all the way to the Schaumburg 1 when senior Takumi Fred brought Jacob Elsner behind the line for a 4-yard loss.

Then after runs by Janczak (15-for-25, 266 yards passing; 16 carries, 48 yards rushing) and Elsner brought them back to the 1. the trio of Michael Connolly, Kevin McIntyre, and Jones sent Elsner backward for a 3-yard loss to preserve the win.

Jones, a DB on defense, was on outside containment for the Saxons.

"I was trying to make sure they didn't go (to the) outside," Jones said. "I'm happy we won. We gotta step it up. We can get better, I know it."

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