ELMHURST SURVIVES SCARE FROM NORTH PARK
Bluejays down Vikings 30-23 after trailing by 16

Boxscore      

ELMHURST, Ill. October 25, 2003 --The Elmhurst College football team reached the five-win plateau for the first time since 1987 by downing North Park University 30-23 at Langhorst Field.

The game, originally scheduled to be at North Park, was moved to Langhorst Field earlier in the week.

The game did not begin well for the Bluejays as North Park jumped out to a 16-0 lead capitalizing on some early Elmhurst mistakes.

After the Bluejays were held in check on the first series of the game, Elmhurst lined up to punt, but the ball skipped in to Brian Parker (Cooper City, Fla.-H.S.) and he was dropped for a loss. North Park took over at the Elmhurst 21-yard line but had to settle for a Christian Thomsen 35-yard field goal.

With North Park leading 3-0, Elmhurst was again forced to punt. Despite fumbling the return, North Park started at the Elmhurst 44-yard line. Seven plays later, the Vikings again settled for a Thomsen field goal, this time from 32 yards out.

After the Bluejays pushed the ball near midfield on their next possession, they found themselves facing a fourth-and-one. It looked like the Bluejays might try fake punt, but the snap sailed over Parker's head and he was again dropped for a loss.

North Park took over at the Elmhurst 12-yard line after a penalty on the Bluejays. The Vikings offense stalled and Thompsen booted his third field goal, this one from 30 yards, to give the Vikings a 9-0 lead.

The Bluejays offense continued to struggle as Elmhurst was again forced to punt. North Park took over and marched down field 55 yards in five plays to take a 16-0 lead when Mike Haehn hit Sherman Gant from 25 yards out.

It was at that point that the Elmhurst offense got rolling. Dom Demma (Carol Stream-Glenbard North) orchestrated a 17-play 80-yard drive by firing five first-down pass completions. The drive was capped by an Eric Luna (Wadsworth-Carmel) seven yard touchdown run. Demma hit Jake Allen (Carol Stream-Glenbard North) for the two-point conversion to cut the lead in half.

The Bluejays' defense held on North Park's next possession and the offense went to work, marching down to the North Park 13-yard line. But a botched snap on a field-goal attempt led to Allen being picked off by the Vikings.

Elmhurst's defense came up big again when Taj English (Opa-Locka, Fla.-Hialeah) picked off Haehn and returned it to the end zone A penalty on the Bluejays brought the ball back to the North Park 36-yard line. Elmhurst moved into the red zone and reached the Viking four-yard line on second-and-goal but turned the ball over on downs as the half ran down.

North Park took the opening kick in the second half and moved deep into Elmhurst territory, setting up at the Bluejay 10-yard line. Haehn went to run the option but couldn't hang on to the ball, fumbling at the Viking 15-yard line. Donnie Snider (Brooksville, Fla.-Hernando) recovered the ball and started heading down field. He quickly tossed a lateral to Benitez Brown (Maywood-Proviso East) who ran 80 yards for the Bluejay touchdown. Demma hit Todd Evans (Bartlett-Glenbard North) on the two-point conversion to tie the game at 16-16.

After a North Park punt, the Bluejays had a chance to take the lead, but a Dave Molinaro (Villa Park-Willowbrook) field goal attempt sailed wide right. The Vikings took over on offense and began driving to midfield. Haehn to tried to throw a deep ball, but was picked off by English at the Elmhurst nine-yard line.

The Bluejays' offense went to work with Luna carrying six of the first seven plays, advancing to the Elmhurst 42-yard line. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Demma hit Evans for a 49-yard completion, giving Elmhurst a first-and-goal at the North Park two-yard line. Luna plunged the ball into the end zone on the next play to give the Bluejays a 23-16 lead after Molinaro's extra point.

The Vikings responded immediately, marching 66-yards in 13 plays to tie the game at 23-23 when Haehn rushed in from six yards out.

After a handful of punts, North Park had the ball on offense at the Viking 22-yard line. On second down, Haehn was pressured by Chris Dembosz (Elmhurst-Immaculate Conception) who got a hand on the ball and deflected it to Brown who intercepted the pass at the North Park 23-yard line and sprinted into the end zone to put Elmhurst up 30-23.

North Park moved down their own 46-yard line on their next possession but failed to convert on fourth down. The Bluejays were able to grind out the final minutes of the clock to escape with the victory.

The Bluejays finished with 314 total yards on 72 plays while North Park totaled 266 yards on 73 plays. Individually, Luna carried the bulk of the load for the Bluejays, rushing 36 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Demma competed 21-of -32 pass attempts for 198 yards. Evans was the leading receiver, hauling in six passes for 108 yards. Juan Quesada (Miami, Fla.-Palmetto) caught five passes to move him to third all-time at Elmhurst with 105 career receptions.

Defensively, Dembosz, Travis Rueckert (Hawthorn Woods-Lake Zurich) and Chris Rydelski (Chicago-St. Patrick) all finished with eight tackles. English turned in a two-interception day, while Brown returned a fumble and interception for touchdowns.

The Bluejays (5-2 overall, 2-2 CCIW) will look for their sixth win of the season, a feat that has not been accomplished since the 1985 season. The Bluejays will have their work cut out for them when they host CCIW foe, Augustana College next Saturday (November 1) at 1:00 p.m.