Dundee-Crown nips Elgin in overtime

ELGIN -- Lightning-quick Jordan Dean gave Elgin hope Friday night in the season opener against Dundee-Crown when there seemed to be none.

However, in overtime Chargers senior linebacker Ryan Hagan was there to snuff out that hope with a sack on a two-point conversion gamble by Elgin coach Dave Bierman to preserve a 19-18 Dundee-Crown non-conference victory at Memorial Field in the first-ever matchup between these schools.

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Elgin's Jordan Dean is taken down after making a catch by Dundee-Crown High School's Brandon Stone (left) and Miles Adkins (right) during the first quarter on Friday night at Elgin.  Dundee-Crown beat Elgin 19-18 in overtime.
(Andrew A. Nelles/For The Courier-News)

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• Dundee-Crown 19, Elgin 18

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"I had an idea they were going to pass," said Hagan, who was blitzing from the outside on the conversion pass when Elgin quarterback Ryan Parks rolled left looking for a receiver. "I didn't get touched on the play."

Elgin's offense struggled all night with nine turnovers and 107 yards of total offense, but the Maroons rallied to tie the score 12-12 in the third quarter on two spectacular returns by Dean, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound junior running back and defensive back.

Dean broke two tackles going right up the middle for a 64-yard punt return touchdown with 8:39 left in the third quarter, then picked off a Tanner Kotlan bomb and returned it 94 yards for a TD by zig-zagging his way down the field through traffic to tie the score at 12-12 with 2:01 left in the third quarter.

"Coach tells me to run with my eyes, and that's what I did on the punt return," Dean said. "On the other one, my buddy (Will Wood) and communicated with each other when we saw the pass was so high and he let me take it and he threw a great block on the receiver to get me going.

"It's just disappointing we couldn't pull it out."

Both teams had missed extra point kicks and then failed on regulation two-point tries, leaving the game tied when regulation ended.

In overtime, the Chargers scored one play after a pass interference call gave them first-and-goal at the 5. Kotlan found senior fullback Mateusz Drozdz running a route out of the backfield and over the middle, wide open and he barreled into the end zone. Then D-C kicker and lineman Josh Boyle made what turned out to be the winning point on a PAT.

"We had called that same play (for the TD) earlier in the game -- a quick pass -- and it didn't work but this time we just executed it," D-C coach Mike Davis said. "It was definitely our defense that won this game. They didn't give up."

The Chargers' defense, which had seven fumble recoveries and interceptions by Nick Torres and Miles Adkins, finally yielded a TD in overtime when Dean, who rushed for 79 yards, scored on a first-down, 10-yard run off left guard.

Bierman then consulted with kicker Jake Meyer about trying the game-tying extra-point kick.

"I just thought the (two-point pass) would be our best chance," Bierman said. "We thought that would give us our best opportunity.

"We had a rollout pass called so Ryan could run or pass and obviously our protection broke down."

D-C seemed to take complete control in the first half with its defense after its own offense struggled. D-C had 207 yards of total offense but fumbled nine times and lost four.

Elgin's Parks left the game after getting shaken up in the second quarter and Meyer replaced him. Adkins picked off Meyer's first pass and returned it 32 yards for a 6-0 Chargers lead.

"Our defense won this game tonight," Davis said. "We've got work to do on offense."

D-C's offense accounted for a score on a 25-yard cutback run by Danny Sharp with 1:33 left in the first half for a 12-0 lead.

Elgin had two chances to score winning points inside D-C's 25 during the fourth quarter but was denied on downs both times.

DUNDEE-CROWN 19, ELGIN 18 OT

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