Aurora Central Catholic entered their week 9 contest with Aurora Christian with a potential playoff berth on the line, however their hopes would be dashed as the Eagles dominated the first meeting between the two schools in 11 years, winning 49-6. The loss ended the Chargers season with a 4-5 record, one win shy of the needed five to qualify for the IHSA Playoffs for the first time in 14 years.
Both teams exchanged possessions early in the first quarter, before Aurora Christian struck first on a 5 yard touchdown pass. Aurora Central went on a 13 play 63 yard drive that was hurt by a holding penalty, before they had to punt, which was downed on the 2 yard line. Aurora Christian hit their first big play of the night when Anthony Maddie broke loose and ran for an 83 yard touchdown run in the final minute of the first quarter.
The Chargers fumbled on their first play of the next drive, giving the Eagles the ball on the ACC 26 yard line. On the next play, Maddie connected with Chad Beebe for a touchdown giving the Eagles a 21-0 lead after the first quarter.
“That was a critical 2 minutes for us,” ACC Head Coach Brian Casey said. “The holding penalty cost us a first and goal opportunity. We had a great punt and give up a big play. A turnover and another big play. Good football teams are going to make plays, the key is not allowing things to snowball, and that is what happened to us at the end of the first quarter.”
The Chargers composed themselves to start the second quarter. ACC drove 74 yards in 15 plays, as Anthony Andujar (Montgomery) raced 15 yards for a touchdown pulling the Chargers within 15.
Aurora Christian tacked on a touchdown in the closing minute of the quarter giving the Eagles a 28-6 halftime advantage.
The Eagles tacked on three more touchdowns in the third quarter, putting the game well out of reach for the Chargers.
The Chargers did have success running the football, as they rushed for 200 yards on the evening, Luke Dickerson (Sugar Grove) paced the Chargers with 70 yards, while Steven Amoni (Yorkville) rushed for 36 yards on 7 carries. Senior quarterback Kyle Clechenko (St. Charles) moved into 9th on the All-Time ACC Rushing list going for 57 yards in his Aurora Central Catholic finale.
The Chargers four wins marked the most wins for Aurora Central Catholic in 9 seasons. The Chargers senior class leaves ACC as the winningest senior class since the Senior Football Class of ’03 (7 wins in 2001-2002).
“This group of kids have brought a lot of pride back into the Aurora Central Catholic Football program, and the ACC school community,” Casey said. “I have had the pleasure to coach these kids all four years of their high school careers, and seeing them develop as football players and individuals, has been a treat for me. This group will be missed.”
