Joy, heartbreak strike in Elgin during Week 9
Sometimes an entire football season comes down to one or two plays, and that was certainly the case for St. Edward and Larkin on Friday.
The Green Wave and Royals both entered Week 9 needing a win to secure a postseason berth. When the mud finally settled, one team reached its goal while the other fell just short.
On the west side of town, St. Edward's hopes were nearly dashed when Wheaton Academy rallied from a 12-point deficit in less than two minutes to tie the game with 33 seconds left. But the Green Wave delivered the two biggest plays of the year in the time remaining.
First Jack Cholewa blocked a Warriors point after attempt, and then David Hoebbel returned a kickoff 79 yards for the game-winning touchdown, setting off pandemonium at Greg True Field.
The 34-28 victory sends St. Edward to the playoffs for the first time since 2003 and for only the third time in school history.
While the Wave celebrated, Larkin's playoff hopes were simultaneously being dashed on the east side of town in a heartbreaking 20-14 loss against South Elgin at Memorial Field.
The Royals looked ready to lock up their first trip to the playoffs since 2006 when they took over possession in South Elgin territory with a seven-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
The situation quickly changed, though, as a Larkin was stopped short on fourth down, giving the ball back to the Storm, which promptly tied the game five plays later. The Royals then saw their postseason chances literally slip away when backup quarterback Lee Jackson fumbled the snap two plays into the ensuing drive, setting up South Elgin's game-winning score.
Rest assured that those two fruitless fourth-quarter possessions -- along with two unsuccessful trips to the red zone in the first half -- will loom large for the Royals, who didn't have a strong enough schedule to qualify for the postseason with five wins.
"We had a few situations where we got close to scoring and we didn't punch it in," Larkin coach Matt Gehrig said. "Any time it's a close football game you can usually play it over in your mind and narrow it down to two or three situations where you either capitalized or you got stopped."
For all the positive steps taken this year by Larkin, which finishes with a winning record for the first time in seven years, the 2009 season will ultimately be remembered for a series of missed opportunities.
The Royals squandered an 18-7 halftime lead in a Week 3 loss to Lake Park. Despite that defeat, the schedule set up perfectly for Larkin, which needed three wins in its final four games, all of which were played at Memorial Field and only one of which was played against a team with a winning record. A gut-wrenching loss against rival Elgin in Week 6 will especially haunt the Royals as they sit home next week.
St. Edward nearly met a similar fate, but a disappointing home loss against Chicago Christian in Week 4 didn't come back to haunt the Wave, which just barely made the most of a regular season that included six home games.
Nearly lost in the drama surrounding St. Edward and Larkin is the story of South Elgin, which continued to forge ahead in the finest season in school history with its seventh win.
Following Friday's victory, defensive coordinator Jason Schaal told his team to represent School District U-46 with pride during the postseason. The win against Larkin should help the cause as the Storm gets to host its first-ever playoff game when it takes on St. Charles North at Millennium Field.
"It's big for these seniors getting them another home game," junior quarterback John Menken said. "We know every team that is in the playoffs is going to be good, so we need to go back to work on Monday, prepare and just do our thing."
With the 2009 regular season officially in the books, here is a final rundown of the teams that impressed and surprised in Week 9.
East clinched the outright UEC title with the victory. With seven straight wins, the Saints have plenty of momentum going into the playoffs. Meanwhile, expect the North Stars to be angrier than ever in their postseason opener after losing back-to-back OT games to end the regular season.
