South Elgin arrives, Elgin pulls surprise
COMMENTARY
Change was in the air this weekend as a pair of Elgin School District U-46 rivalries played out on the football field.
On Saturday in Elgin, the area's most storied rivalry took a turn for the unexpected when Elgin High upset Larkin 28-21 at Memorial Field to claim the Town Jug for the first time in eight years.
On Friday in Streamwood, a new rivalry was born when South Elgin rallied to beat Bartlett 17-14 in the first meeting between the schools at Millennium Field.
In the case of the Storm's win over the Hawks, it seemed as if the past gave way to the future as South Elgin clawed back from a 14-0 deficit late in the third quarter with three scoring drives in the final 14 minutes.
Among U-46 schools, Bartlett has long been the gold standard when it comes to football. But now the Hawks are in serious jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the first time in 10 years after slipping to 2-4.
In the first half Friday it was like old times as Bartlett used a punishing ground attack to outgain South Elgin 159-5 in total yards. That changed down the stretch, though, as the Storm had all the poise while the Hawks were uncharacteristically undisciplined.
South Elgin became playoff eligible for the first time in program history with the victory, which marked the third time this season that the Storm has rallied to win after trailing 14-0.
"These kids believe in each other, they care about each other and they keep fighting for each other," South Elgin coach Dale Schabert said. "They deserve this and it is outstanding."
If anything, the thrilling win sent a message to Bartlett that it has company in representing District U-46 as one of the elite teams in the western suburbs going forward.
"We've been waiting to play this team for four years now and there was no way we were losing," South Elgin senior Jake Kumerow said. "We just had to shove it down their throats and do whatever it took."
Elgin provided an equally exciting finish against Larkin, scoring touchdowns on a fumble return, an interception return and a blocked kick return in the second half to surge to victory.
I won't go as far as saying a changing of the guard took place, but it might be awhile before a team wins seven straight games in this series like Larkin did from 2002-08.
The win couldn't have come at a better time for Elgin, which was facing the possibility of a second straight one-win season before picking up a victory that may serve as a springboard for second-year coach Dave Bierman's program.
"These kids practice so hard and well and you keep trying to tell them to believe and things like that," Bierman said. "But when things aren't going right on the field, it's hard. For them to do it on the field today is a remarkable credit to the kids."
Without further delay, here's a look back at Week 6 and a quick look ahead to Week 7.
St. Charles East at Bartlett, 7:30 p.m. Friday -- The Saints look to stay unbeaten in the UEC while the Hawks must win to keep their hopes of a 10th straight trip to the playoffs alive.
Dundee-Crown at Jacobs, 7:15 p.m. Friday -- The Golden Eagles will try to beat their District 300 rivals for the sixth straight year in a matchup of struggling squads.
