St. Charles East rallies to beat Lake Park in OT on Xander Salazar’s game-winning TD

ST. CHARLES – St. Charles East rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to beat Lake Park 27-21 in overtime Friday night at Norris Stadium.

Junior backup quarterback Samuel Faidley took over the Saints’ offense late in the third quarter of the DuKane Conference game after starter Jesse Padron suffered a knee injury.

Xander Salazar scored the winning touchdown on St. Charles East’s first overtime play from the 10-yard line. Salazar swept around the right side to cross the goal line.

Before their OT drive, the Saints successfully thwarted Lake Park’s overtime possession. Lancers quarterback George Tzamouranis left the game during the drive due to an injury.

Guided by reserve Taysean Smith, Lake Park stalled at the 10-yard line and on fourth down, attempted a 27-yard field goal. After a bad snap, holder Kamryn Ahmed ran with the ball and was stopped by the Saints defensive line.

“It was a total team effort. We have a lot to clean up still, but I am proud from the standpoint of at halftime all we talked about was the team coming together and taking this game and running with it,” St. Charles East coach Nolan Possley said. “We saw the team jell in the second half.”

St. Charles East (2-3, 2-1) tied the game early in the third quarter on a 9-yard pass from Padron to Peter VanLue.

Faidley finished the late third quarter drive that Padron had started with a score. Salazar ended the possession with an 11-yard run up the middle to put St. Charles East up 21-14 with six seconds left in the period.

The lead was short-lived.

Lake Park (2-3, 0-3) tied the game again on the first play of its second possession in the fourth quarter. Tzamouranis connected with his favorite target, Nicholas Menos, for a 43-yard scoring TD.

With six seconds left in regulation, a Saints 47-yard field-goal attempt was blocked.

“It was crazy, but I was prepared. The seniors, especially on the O-line really led me out there and helped me out. I felt like I stayed composed,” Faidley, a junior transfer from Westminster Christian, said.

Lake Park scored the game’s first touchdown. Ahmed picked off a Padron pass at Lake Park’s 7-yard line to start the possession. The drive ended 10 plays later with Robert Munaco scampering 3 yards across the goal line with 3:23 left in the first quarter.

St. Charles East tied the game on its next possession. Padron connected with Sheko Gjokaj for a 19-yard TD pass one minute into the second half.

Lake Park regained the lead with 20 seconds left in the half. Munaco caught a Tzamouranis screen pass at the Saints’ 4-yard line and returned the ball to the end zone.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20240927/prep-football/st-charles-east-overcomes-halftime-deficit-to-beat-lake-park-in-overtime/