Playing at five different game times this season, South Elgin used the afternoon sun to make a transformation.
Instead of a quick strike offense, the Storm unveiled a ground and pound game to put away Glenbard East 28-0 Saturday at Millennium Stadium in Streamwood. It sets the stage for next Friday’s showdown with Bartlett for the Upstate Eight title. Both teams are unbeaten.
South Elgin (5-0, 5-0) ran 62 plays on Saturday and piled up 415 total yards. That included 296 on the ground as the Storm kept the ball away from Glenbard East.
“That is a new thing for us,” South Elgin coach Dragan Teonic said. “We have been averaging 30 to 40 plays per game for the last couple of years with big strikes and scoring early and often.”
South Elgin did just that.
The Storm scored the game’s first touchdown just two plays into the game. Ben Karpowicz hit Mason Montgomery on a 50-yard pass play. Then Davion Cherwin blasted up the middle on a 13-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0.
From there, the Storm offensive line of Michael Roath, Dominic Cianciarulo, Maximilian Shenneman, Nathan Dinse, Jess Mike and Dante Queen began to grind things out. The Storm had a 7-play drive that culminated in a one-yard run by Karpowicz at made it 14-0 in the second quarter.
The Storm would later gamble and win. Facing a fourth-and-1 at the their own 33, Karpowicz followed some key blocks up front and then cut outside for a 67-yard touchdown run and a 21-0 halftime lead.
The Storm’s defense then continued its dominance. Led by Enron Mahmudi, Anthony Cirrincione, Roath, Axel Bernal, Jordan Jones and Spencer Menchaca, the Storm forced three turnovers and limited Glenbard East (2-3, 2-3) to 91 yards on 29 plays.
“We didn’t get anything going offensively,” Glenbard East coach John Walters said. “Our defense played their hearts out. But they had too many chances for their offense.”
South Elgin closed out their scoring when Karpowicz found Kyle Tyszkiewicz in the corner of the end zone for an 6-yard touchdown at the beginning of the fourth quarter to make it 28-0.
“It was probably our toughest game,” said Karpowicz, who threw for 119 yards and ran for 76 yards. “It may not show on the scoreboard. We had a lot of adjustments in the game and I am glad we were able to get it done.”
Cherwin, who was a workhouse for the Storm carrying the ball 24 times for 130 yards, credited his line for helping him find some room on the ground.
“Without the help of my teammates, especially my offensive line, I couldn’t have done that,” Cherwin said. “I am just trying to go out my senior year with a bang and give it all I have.”