Aurora Central rallies past Marengo

Updated: September 5, 2011 5:26PM

Momentum is a fickle beast.
After Saturday afternoon’s lightning-infested game against Marengo was postponed to Labor Day immediately following an Aurora Central Catholic touchdown, the Chargers had all weekend to think about their extra-point attempt.
They decided to go for two and quarterback Kyle Clechenko was stuffed on a conversion run, setting the tone for a game full of mood swings.
Down 11 points in the fourth quarter and with its run game non-existent outside of Clechenko’s 38-yard run Saturday, Aurora Central found a punt to be the catalyst for a 12-point quarter and a narrow 26-25 win.
“What changed was Michael O’Donnell’s punt and the penalty off of it,” said Chargers coach Brian Casey, who watched the junior boom a 61-yard punt to Marengo’s 14 before two penalties pushed the Indians back to the 7. “That was the difference. If you think about it, we were backed up in our own end all day and couldn’t get anything going.”
Indians tailback John Lesiak was stripped on the next play and Clechenko found Luke Dickerson up the seam for a 17-yard touchdown on third down.
With Marengo (1-1) playing into the teeth of a strong wind, the Chargers (2-0) put nine men in the box to stop the running game that had bothered them all day.
On a second-down play, Indians’ quarterback Trae Hoeske’s pass hung in the air long enough on an overthrow that Aurora Central cornerback Anthony Andujar was able to make a diving interception at the Marengo 43.
“I was stunned they were throwing into that wind, but Ant makes an unbelievable difference wherever he lines up,” said Casey, commenting on Andujar’s first game this season after sitting out Week 1 with an injury.
One play later, Clechenko found Dickerson on a deep post for the game-winning score with just nine minutes left in the game.
“Luke is fast as anything,” Clechenko said. “We knew he could beat that safety. All I did was throw it out there and he’s a hell of an athlete – he just caught it. It was pretty easy for me.”
Clechenko finished the game 8-for-14 for 126 yards and three touchdowns, including the first score Saturday on a 16-yard strike to Brian Bohr.
“I think we’ve proved Kyle’s a quarterback,” Casey said. “Yes, he’s a fourth running back in a double-wing offense, but the kid can throw the ball. The kid can make plays. He’s the quarterback in the area not getting any love, but right now he’s thrown four touchdowns and no picks and he’s got his team 2-0.”
Marengo retook the lead 7-6 when Hoeske hit Colin Stewart on a 41-yard strike.
Clechenko responded with a 14-yard bullet to Matt Nass following a Marengo negative 11-yard punt into the wind that bounced backwards 9 yards before Chargers’ senior Nick Holzer picked up the ball and raced 25 yards to set up the touchdown.
Marengo returned the ensuing kickoff 69 yards, setting off a string of 18 straight points to take an 11-point lead just a few seconds into the fourth quarter.
Each team now has a short week, though each also moved its Friday games back to Saturday. Aurora Central will play Immaculate Conception in its quest to finish .500 for the first time since 2002 and make the playoffs for the first time since 1997.
“If Kyle’s good enough to complete the passes, now we’re a threat,” Casey said. “Last week, we proved we could run. This week we proved we could throw. If we find any balance, that will carry us where we need to go.”

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.