South Elgin comeback stuns Bartlett

Bartlett's Andy Puccini (27) is brought down by South Elgin's Justin Wright (47) and George Collins (4) during the first quarter of Friday night's game in Streamwood.
(Andrew A. Nelles/For The Courier-News)

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STREAMWOOD – South Elgin is quickly building a reputation as a comeback team, but the Storm outdid itself Friday.

Things looked bleak with four minutes left in the third quarter as South Elgin still hadn't gained a first down and trailed Bartlett by 14 points. But those circumstances, combined with a driving rain, couldn't keep the Storm from rallying for an improbable 17-14 Upstate Eight Conference victory.

With junior quarterback John Menken leading the way, South Elgin mounted a 14-play, 66-yard drive late in the fourth quarter to pull ahead for good. The winning touchdown came when Menken found junior receiver Domico Failla on a fade route in the back left corner of the end zone for an 8-yard scoring pass with 1:30 remaining.

The victory marked the third time this season the Storm has rallied from a 14-0 deficit to win. South Elgin (5-1, 2-1) also became playoff eligible for the first time in program history with the win.

"We just believe in ourselves," Menken said. "We know we're a second-half team and we know no defense is going to shut us down for no yards. We knew when we went into halftime that we were going to come out and move the ball."

The defeat was particularly disappointing for the Hawks, who are in serious jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the first time in 10 years after slipping to 2-4 overall and 1-3 in the UEC.

Bartlett dominated the first half, outgaining South Elgin 159-5 in total yards from scrimmage and running more than twice as many plays as the Storm. But turnovers and undisciplined play proved to be the Hawks' undoing.

Bartlett committed three turnovers, including a fumble at the South Elgin 8-yard line early in the third quarter. The Hawks were also penalized 10 times for 67 yards and missed a sure touchdown when sophomore receiver Zach Karys dropped a perfectly thrown pass near midfield with no defenders around early in the fourth quarter.

"That's kind of been our season, we just haven't finished a game," Bartlett coach Tom Meaney said. "There's enough blame to go around for a lot of folks. I told the kids they can't finger point at anybody because we are all to blame for this one."

Although Bartlett squandered several opportunities, South Elgin certainly had to earn the victory. The Storm pulled within 14-6 on Bradley Birchfield's 24-yard touchdown run with 1:25 left in the third quarter. Sophomore kicker David Reisner's point-after attempt failed to rise above the crossbar, but he made up for the miss with a 28-yard field goal on the Storm's next possession.

South Elgin's defense forced a three-and-out on Bartlett's ensuing drive, giving Menken and the offense the ball at their own 34-yard line with 6:10 left. The Storm converted on third-and-12, third-and-10 and fourth-and-2 to keep the drive alive.

Menken had a hand in all three of those clutch conversions. He added a fourth when he connected with Failla for the game-winning score on a third-and-6 play following a timeout.

"They were biting on those slants all the time, so we just called a play to get a fake slant and then the fade and Domico made a great catch," Menken said. "I just put it up there for him and he's a heck of an athlete and he went up and got it."

The Hawks advanced into South Elgin territory on its ensuing drive, but their comeback hopes were dashed when Storm junior Robbie Green intercepted a pass from Bartlett sophomore AJ Bilyeu with nine seconds left.

Junior Andy Puccini racked up 114 rushing yards and a touchdown on 31 carries for the Hawks.

Menken didn't complete a pass in the first half but finished 8 of 22 for 106 yards. His top targets were seniors Jake Kumerow (2 catches, 56 yards) and Sheldon Chaney (3 catches, 37 yards).

South Elgin's defense turned the tables in the second half, limiting Bartlett to only 71 yards and four first downs. Senior linebacker Sean Kolber and junior linebacker Justin Wright had fumble recoveries for the Storm.

"At halftime we didn't yell and scream," South Elgin coach Dale Schabert said. "We got real calm with them and started going over what they needed to do. The kids believe in the coaches and we believe in them. The kids made their adjustments and what a great ending."

SOUTH ELGIN 17, BARTLETT 14

Bartlett             7      7      0      0   --   14

South Elgin       0      0      6     11  --   17

BART – Bilyeu 1 run (Busch kick), 1:26

BART – Puccini 2 run (Busch kick), 0:10

SE – Birchfield 24 run (kick failed), 1:25

SE – FG Reisner 28, 8:12

SE – Failla 8 pass from Menken (Menken pass from Birchfield), 1:30

TEAM STATISTICS         SE        BART

First downs                           11           15

Comp.-att.-int.                   8-22-0     1-8-1

Passing yards                       106          22

Rushing att.-yards               22-49     49-208

Total yards                          155          230

Fumbles-lost                         0-0          2-2

Penalties-yards                     3-15       10-67

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing:

BARTLETT – Puccini 31-114, Thabuteau 7-35, O'Connor 4-29, Bilyeu 5-13, Scaminaci 1-12, Guteirrez 1-12.

SE – Birchfield 10-42, Menken 12-7.

Passing:

BARTLETT – Bilyeu 1-8-1 22

SE – Menken 8-22-0 106

Receiving:

BARTLETT – Partyka 1-22.

SE – Kumerow 2-56, Chaney 3-37, Failla 2-22, McGinn 1-8.