The Saint Xavier football team capped off a horrific week with a huge victory.
Mason Santiago, a Cougars sophomore linebacker, was one of two men who died Sept. 15 in an early-morning crash on Interstate 80 in Tinley Park.
Dealing with the grief of the loss of Santiago, a New Lenox resident and Providence graduate, the Cougars soldiered on though practices and went on the road Sept. 21 and beat Madonna University, 55-13, in Livonia, Michigan, in a Mid-States Football Association crossover game.
The first play of the game from scrimmage was a tribute to Santiago as the offensive players went down on one knee well after the play clock ran down. The Cougars were penalized for a delay of game, but Madonna declined the penalty.
The rest of the way, it was all SXU, which entered ranked 11th in the nation by NAIA coaches.
Seven Cougars scored touchdowns. Julian Smith opened a few eyes with two receptions for 59 yards and two kick returns for 109 more to help the Cougars (2-1).
Quarterback Stuart Ross threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns.
Junior quarterback Dominic D’Ambrosio get some time on the field and gave Saint Xavier a potential glimpse of the future as he completed six of his seven pass attempts for 128 yards and a touchdown, and added four carries for 18 yards.
Local athletes also shined as Oak Lawn grad Adam Alcantar caught a pair of passes for 84 yards, and Brother Rice grad Jessi Plunkett added 40 rushing yards and a touchdown,
The Cougars come home at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 28 for another crossover game against Concordia University-Ann Arbor (Mich.)
Concordia (1-3) was beaten 44-7 by No. 25 St. Francis of Joliet on Sept. 21 in Michigan. But the team also gave No. 6 Marian all it could handle in a 34-31 loss Sept. 14 in Indianapolis.