Sports
SOPHS: Trick Play Helps Saints Pull Off Dramatic Win With 24 Seconds Left
The final score: St. Charles East 28, Geneva 21.
If the sophomore game is any prelude to the varsity contest, we're in for a barn burner Friday night.
The Saints won in the final 24 seconds, after a double-reverse pass play from Jack Russell to Corbin Marucco for 47 yards set up a 1-yard Cameron Canales run for an improbable 28-21 Saints win.
All of which came after Geneva's own comeback, which included a surprising go-ahead drive with 2:36 left.
After a 14-7 first half in favor of St. Charles East, both teams played to a scoreless third quarter.
But with 28 seconds left in the third, the Vikings forced a fumble and recovered on the Saints' 17-yard line. They scored on a 12-yard run to the Vikings' left corner of the end zone to tie it with 9:52 left.
It looked like Geneva might put it away in the next possession, when the Vikings again recovered a fumble, this time on the Saints' 29-yard line. But on the very next play, Austin Griffin intercepted and ran it back all the way to the Geneva 22, and St. Charles East punched it in on a 2-yard Cameron Canales run. The extra-point kick was blocked, however, putting some drama in the final seven minutes of play.
In the next series, Taormina and the Geneva offensive line bulldozed to the East 40-yard line, facing fourth and 5. Brendan Hines hit a tight end for the first down to keep the game in question.
On third down, Taorima ran for 18 yards, then scored from the 3-yard line. Matt Rinne calmly kicked the extra point, and Geneva was up 21-20 with 2:36 left.
But the Saints had more up their sleeves. The 47-yard pass play put the Saints in field-goal range, but they were able to score on consecutive running plays and a 2-point conversion to wrap up the victory.
