No more unbeatens
Week 4 full of shockers
Right when I thought the area football scene was starting to take shape, all four unbeaten local teams lost at home Friday night.
That's right: St. Edward, South Elgin, St. Charles North and Huntley all stumbled in Week 4 of the regular season. Granted, none of the teams lost by more than a touchdown, but seeing four squads that looked so impressive during the first three weeks of the year all take a step back certainly caught me by surprise.
(Michael Smart/Staff Photographer)
As my 4-9 record picking this week's high school games illustrates, I'm still not quite sure what to make of the area contingent. I like to fancy myself as something of a local high school football expert, but weeks like this remind me that I'm not such a know-it-all after all.
Like the Green Wave, Storm, North Stars and Red Raiders, I have plenty of work to do if I hope to avoid another stinging setback.
For a large number of South Elgin's players, Friday's 21-14 loss to St. Charles East at Millennium Field was an unfamiliar phenomenon.
The Storm asserted itself as a force to be reckoned with by racking up three straight impressive wins to start the season. The early success may have been a surprise to some, but South Elgin fans knew they had a good thing coming with a junior class that went undefeated in 2008 at the sophomore level.
The Storm showed some vulnerability in the loss, but one defeat won't make a season for this talented group. Although the outcome was a bitter pill to swallow, coach Dale Schabert thinks his team will emerge stronger going into next week's non-conference game against Lincoln-Way North.
"You've got a bunch of kids now that I think this is only their second high school loss, and they're mad," Schabert said. "A loss is never good. People say that stuff and I don't care. We did our years of moral victories here. But these guys are upset and that's outstanding.
"They've fought back all year. I keep telling you about their heart and everything. I can't wait for next week. You are going to see a hell of an effort. They are not happy and they are going to come out with a lot of enthusiasm this week and it's not going to take anything out of us (coaches) to get them there."
While South Elgin is left to regroup, East is likely full of confidence after coming away with a victory despite being bruised and battered.
By the second quarter the Saints were without their two top rushers as Matt Payne left the game with an injured left ankle and joined Corey Campbell -- who was out with an injured shoulder -- on the sidelines. Things seemingly got worse when right guard Rafael Flores came out in the third quarter with a right knee injury, but that didn't stop East from pulverizing the Storm with a powerful ground attack down the stretch.
With Flores out, Mark Lindholm switched from left tackle to right guard and joined right tackle Eric Olstad and tight end Jess Striedl in paving the way to victory.
The Saints found success running a play called 44-power over the right side of the line, so they simply didn't stop. Junior running back Zach Zajicek filled in admirably for his injured teammates, racking up 114 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries during the final 15 minutes.
"Coach just said we're going to run it until they stop us," Striedl said. "They never stopped us so we just kept running it."
The Saints offensive line includes four returning starters, four players who weigh more than 300 pounds and five players who stand 6-foot-1 or taller.
With that kind of experience and brawn up front, it's no wonder East was able to endure a few bumps and bruises.
"It starts with the offensive line," East coach Mike Fields said. "That's a heck of a crew to deal with."
Without further delay, I'm ready to put Week 4 in the books. Here's a quick look back and an equally quick look ahead to Week 5.
Bartlett at Streamwood, 7:30 Friday -- Both teams will be looking to snap losing streaks when these neighbors collide for the first time since 2004.
Burlington Central at North Boone, 7 Friday -- The Rockets would get a much-needed boost by winning their Big Northern Conference East Division opener.
