Drew Surges does it all, carries St. Charles North past St. Charles East to clinch playoff berth

ST. CHARLES – It wouldn’t be surprising if Drew Surges offered to help clean the concession stands after the football game between St. Charles East and St. Charles North on Oct. 7.

Surges, a St. Charles North senior, did about everything else during the North Stars’ 38-7 DuKane Conference victory over their crosstown rival at St. Charles North.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Surges topped the 100-yard rushing mark with 133 yards on 11 carries and three touchdowns, caught five passes for 33 yards, collected seven tackles from his defensive back position and blocked a field-goal attempt for the first-place North Stars (6-1, 5-0).

“That’s what an all-state football player looks like,” North Stars coach Rob Pomazak said of Surges. “In high school, there are few times when there’s that kid who dominates. I remember growing up and watching those guys who were kind of ‘Mr. Everything,’ and he is that.”

Playing in front of a sellout crowd that included former North Stars standouts Tyler and Jordan Nubin (both playing at Minnesota), Surges blocked Sam Frausto’s 35-yard field-goal attempt on the Saints’ opening possession. Four plays later, Surges scored on a 55-yard touchdown run the first time he touched the ball offensively.

“It was just great blocking by the line,” said Surges, who added a 1-yard TD run later in the first quarter after Caden Kowalczyk’s fumble recovery at the Saints’ 16-yard line to make it 14-0.

Junior Hunter Liszka’s 42-yard field goal pushed the lead to 17-0, and the North Stars capped a 6-play, 68-yard drive with Ethan Plumb’s 15-yard TD pass to Zach Priami with 19.9 seconds left in the first half to make it 24-0.

Plumb, who finished 17 of 20 for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns, completed 4 of 5 passes for 69 yards on the late first-half scoring drive.

“Ethan is doing a great job,” Pomazak said. “He’s a 15-year-old sophomore and he’s stepping up. He made some great throws tonight. He’s improving each week.”

Surges added an 18-yard touchdown run on the opening possession of the second half, and Plumb’s 10-yard TD pass to Alexander Valenzuela early in the fourth quarter sealed the deal for the North Stars, who secured a playoff berth with the win.

“It’s a great feeling for the team,” Surges said. “There’s a lot of bright things ahead for us.”

“During the COVID season, we had a great team and there were no playoffs, so that’s something we wanted to get back to,” Pomazak said. “This is a huge accomplishment.”

The Saints (2-5, 0-5) spoiled the shutout bid when McGreevy Paul (12 of 32, 118 yards) connected with Charles Bolsoni on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 1:33 remaining.

“We talked a lot before the game about resilience and giving max effort every single play and I really do think our guys did that tonight,” Saints coach Nolan Possley said. “It was a step in the right direction when it comes from the effort standpoint of what we were looking for.”

St. Charles North has road games at Glenbard North and Batavia to wrap up the regular season.

“We all know what the goal is for us – conference champs,” Surges said.