Saints continue to roll in UEC
STREAMWOOD – St. Charles East coach Mike Fields has said all along his team’s focus this year is succeeding in the Upstate Eight Conference, and after a 0-2 start in non-conference play, that’s just what the Saints have done.
East beat a previously undefeated South Elgin team, 21-14, on Friday night with dominating second-half performances on the line on each side of the ball.
“Our goal is the Upstate Eight,” Fields said. “We want to win the Upstate Eight. We had two tough non-conference games to start the season, and I think that’s a benefit for us down the road. Maybe this is starting now.”
South Elgin (3-1, 1-1 UEC) tied the score at 7 with 3:02 left in the third quarter, but East’s defining drive came on the next possession.
The Saints (2-2, 2-0) rode running back Zachary Zajicek from their own 24 for 10 of the drive’s 12 plays.
He scored from 2 yards out with 10:09 left in the game to give East a lead it wouldn’t give up.
Zajicek ran for 86 yards on the 76-yard drive after a penalty and two other plays were worked into the drive’s numbers.
He finished the night with 156 yards on 23 carries, a workload he wasn’t expecting until fellow running back Matthew Payne left the game with a first-half ankle injury, but he was ready nonetheless.
“All week during practice I was getting reps,” Zajicek said. “[Starting running back Corey] Campbell was out all week, and then when Payne went out I knew was getting it, but we were prepared. We prepared all week for it.”
He said the 10 plays on which Fields called his name wore on him, but the offensive line’s push made it bearable.
“It was all the O-line there making holes the whole game,” Zajicek said. “I just had to run north and south. Once I picked it up second half, holes were wide open.”
The Saints never allowed the Storm to find their typical air attack. Storm quarterback John Menken was continually hurried and threw interceptions on his first two attempts. He finished the game 7-for-14 for 77 yards, most of which came on the game’s final drive, a 20-play, 82-yarder for the Storm that brought the score to 21-14 with 28 seconds left after a 9-yard pass from Menken to Sheldon Chaney.
Then, on the ensuing onside kick, South Elgin’s Jake Kumerow appeared to recover, but the officials ruled he touched the ball before it traveled 10 yards and East got the ball.
“Longest 4 minutes of my life,” Fields said of his team’s effort to hold off a late charge by the Storm.
ST. CHARLES EAST 21, SOUTH ELGIN 14
St. Charles East 0 7 0 14 – 21
South Elgin 0 0 7 7 – 14
Second quarter
SCE – Striedl 19 pass from Fisher (Keller kick), 8:27.
Third quarter
SE – Menken 1 run (Reisner kick), 3:02.
Fourth quarter
SCE – Zajicek 2 run (Keller kick), 10:09.
SCE – Fisher 1 run (Keller kick), 5:52
SE – Chaney 9 pass from Menken, (Reisner kick), :28
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – St. Charles East: Zajicek 23-156, Possley 20-94, Payne 4-13, Gomez 1-2, Fisher 3-minus 8, Nutting 1-minus 10. Totals: 52-247. South Elgin: Birchfield 18-157, Randich 5-34, Menken 14-minus 1. Totals: 37-190.
PASSING – St. Charles East: Possley 4-11-2-58. Fisher 4-4-0-30. South Elgin: Menken 7-14-2-77.
RECEIVING – St. Charles East: Nutting 5-61, Striedl 1-19, Russell 2-8. South Elgin: Kumerow 3-46, McGinn 2-23, Chaney 1-9, Birchfield 1-minus 1.
TOTAL YARDS: St. Charles East 332, South Elgin 278.
SOPHOMORE GAME: South Elgin 12, St. Charles East 3.