St. Xavier’s football team got pressed a little in the fourth quarter when Concordia Ann Arbor (Mich.) returned a fourth-quarter interception for a touchdown to make it a one-score game.
But kicker Peyton Benes relieved the tension with a 23-yard field goal with 2 minutes, 24 seconds to play in what turned out to be a 27-17 Cougars win in a Mid-States Football Association crossover on Sept. 28 at Deaton Field in Chicago.
SXU, ranked 11th in the nation by the coaches, dominated from the line of scrimmage with a 391-182 advantage in total yards, but Concordia’s fourth-quarter pickoff was able to make things interesting.
Aside from the interception, fifth-year senior quarterback Stuart Ross had a strong game, throwing for 193 yards and three touchdowns for the Cougars (3-1). Concordia fell to 1-4.
Local players who had an impact on the game included Brother Rice grad Jessi Plunkett, who had a 13-yard touchdown run. St. Rita grad Joe Polselli had four receptions for 39 yards and had a 32-yard punt.
The Cougars are hoping to win their third straight game at 11 a.m. on Oct. 5 but it won’t be easy as they face No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana.
Wesleyan (4-1) beat four NAIA opponents by a combined score of 218-17. That included a 38-3 win over No. 23 St. Francis of Joliet on Sept. 28.
Its only loss came to NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision school Valparaiso, 20-17.
Great golfing
As the golf postseason started this week, area teams warmed up with some conference tournament play last week.
Oak Lawn won the South Suburban Red title by just three strokes over crosstown rival Richards 345-348.
Argo’s Zechariah Davila won with a 77, Oak Lawn’s Shane Mulcahy was second with a 81 and Evergreen Park’s Fionn Doherty and Richards’ Nate Gesiakowski tied for third with 83s.
Sandburg’s boys were fourth in the SouthWest Suburban meet on Sept. 24 when rain stopped play. Junior Michael Bol was tied for eighth with a two-over par through nine holes.
St. Rita’s Richie Glenke tied for sixth in the Chicago Catholic League meet with a 76 while St. Laurence’s Matthew Suchecki tied for 10th.
In the South Suburban Conference, Reavis’s girls team led area teams with a third-place finish as senior Emily Tralewski was medalist with an 81.
Richards’ Mia Devivo tied for fifth, while Argo’s Pauline Gil and Oak Lawn’s Katie Casey tied for ninth.
In the SouthWest Suburban Conference, Sandburg finished third with a 349 while junior Brooke Adams finished second with a 72 and junior Katie Wehlus took third with a 75.