After averaging 33 points a game over their first four contests, the Schaumburg offense had been held to just 21 total points over consecutive defeats to Hoffman Estates and Palatine.

That left the Saxons at 3-3 on the season and in serious jeopardy of missing out on a second straight postseason berth. That made their senior night game at home versus rival Conant even more important.

Unfortunately for Schaumburg, it ran into a Conant squad that had back-to-back losses and was also trying to stop the hemorrhaging on its fall campaign.

Thanks to its ability to grind down and eventually run through the home team’s defense, the visiting Cougars would have a happy three-mile ride back to their campus as 43-28 winners at Gary Scholz Stadium in the 55th meeting of the two schools which first dueled on the gridiron back in the fall of 1971.

The win moves both teams to 3-4 overall with each needing to win their final two contests to gain playoff eligibility.

Trailing Schaumburg 7-0 on a 47-yard TD jaunt by junior Vince Heydecker just 52 ticks into the contest, Conant (1-2 in the MSL West) went to work utilizing the run game. Senior RB Nathan Kutella began an amazing evening with an 18-yard run that pulled them within 7-6 at the 6:24 mark of the first.

Kutella would score 5 more times and totaled 232 yards on 35 attempts, as Conant would wind up with 423 yards of total offense that featured 394 on the ground. The Cougar offensive line, comprised of Lukas Hernandez, Joshua Chow, Nicolas Portilla-Palos, Evan Mueller, Tyler Alston and TE Dylan Kelley successfully controlled the line of scrimmage.

After responding to Saxons scores by junior Xavier Tudela (57-yard run) and a 20-yard Ray Black TD toss to Mason Heydecker courtesy of Kutella’s second and third rushing TDs, Conant took the lead for good on Kutella’s fourth TD jaunt. That one was a second 2-yard run with seconds left in the first half for a 28-21 lead at the break.

A 32-yard run by Kutella made it 35-21 with 6:49 left in the third.

After Vince Heydecker’s second TD run brought Schaumburg (0-3 in the West) within 35-28, the Cougars defense came up big. Abhimanyu Sarma picked off a Heydecker halfback pass at the Conant 10, then Kutella’s sixth touchdown jaunt from 60 yards out with 4:41 left sealed the deal.

The Cougars also added 78 yards on 16 carries from converted lineman Ryan Ramos (who added a two-point run for the game’s final points), plus another 61 from Sarma on just 4 attempts.

“I love my lineman. I just love getting the opportunity to run,” Kutella said. “They did a great job blocking for me. I really want to dedicate this game to my line. They opened up gaps in short coverage and made me make big plays.”

“We’ve been on those guys on getting better every day and they finally put it together,” Conant coach Anthony Donatucci said. “They were able to sustain their blocks and Kutella and Ramos did a great job.”

Donatucci spoke also of his squad’s winning effort.

“They came out ready to play. I’m really proud of our team. All we’ve talked about is getting better ourselves. We just have to do well on our own.”