Eagles wrap talons around conference crown

ELGIN -- The red No. 1 on John Magee's white jersey faded into near imperceptibility by the time he peeled himself off the St. Edward 34-yard-line with seconds left in Friday's contest in Elgin.

His linemen pushed their fists in the air as his final first down run of the night clinched not only a 23-18 victory over the Green Wave (5-2, 2-2) but the inaugural Suburban Christian Conference Gold title.

The Eagles joined the new two-division league after two straight Private School League crowns, and a team led by a majority of sophomores and juniors unexpectedly added to the program's growing dossier of accomplishments.

After a humbling defeat at the hands of Montini two weeks ago, the Eagles (5-2, 4-0) have responded with two straight wins, the latest of which was done the old-fashioned way -- up the gut and on the ground.

The younger Magee (by seconds) rushed 33 times for 165 yards and two touchdowns, including the eventual game-winner in the third quarter, a 40-yard jaunt that included about a half dozen broken tackles.

Julian Sosa added an insurance 26-yard field goal in the fourth quarter for Aurora Christian, as the defense held a Green Wave offense that came in averaging over 40 points per game to just 18.

And 10 of those points came off turnovers, including a Grayson Roberts (163 yards passing, one touchdown) interception that was returned for a score and a fumble that set up a field goal that brought St. Edward to within 20-12 at the end of three quarters.

But the combination of the Eagles' running game and stingy defense kept St. Edward from pulling closer, despite a 31-yard touchdown pass from Ben Lehman (138 yards passing) to David Hoebbel with 1:57 to go in the game.

St. Edward couldn't convert the onside kick, leading to Magee's clinching first down.

At the start of the game, it looked as if it would be the Green Wave controlling the ball, as the Eagles ran just six plays and gained 43 yards of offense -- 37 coming on one Sheldon Magee run -- in the first quarter.

Yet the Green Wave could not capitalize, scoring only on a 26-yard field goal by Jim Cholewa to go up 3-0 at the end of one quarter.

During that opening drive, which took nearly five minutes off the clock, Hoebbel (57 receiving yards, 73 rushing yards) ground out 44 yards, but a third-down pass by Lehman was incomplete.

St. Edward's second drive of the quarter began at the Aurora Christian 46, but it stalled 25 yards later on a fourth-and-3 incompletion.

The ball-control game turned in the second quarter as the Eagles ran 22 plays to the Green Wave's 10, and Aurora Christian took advantage with 1:26 left in the half when John Magee found the end zone from 3 yards out.

The score was set up by Sheldon Magee's tough reception of a jump ball on a third-and-1 pass from Roberts. Despite being interfered with by the Green Wave defender, Magee wrestled the ball away.

The 2-point conversion pass was no good, but a fumbled kickoff return by St. Edward following the score allowed the Eagles to run out the clock leading 6-3.

The Aurora Christian defense, which looked helpless for the majority of the opening drive, rallied in the final three plays with big stops to force the field goal. The Green Wave found the going significantly tougher in subsequent possessions, gaining just 13 yards of offense in its next four series.