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Bluejay Football Team Falls in Final Minute
Box Score
ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst College football team slipped to 5-4 on the season following a heartbreaking last second loss to Millikin University. The loss dropped the Bluejays to 2-4 in the CCIW.
Millikin (3-6, 2-4 CCIW) drove 91 yards in four plays and 37 seconds to overcome a 17-16 deficit and earn the win.
Trailing 10-0, Millikin scored 16 straight points, grabbing a 16-10 lead with just over a minute to play in the third quarter. After an Elmhurst punt, the Bluejays' defense came up with the big play. Ward Brady (Bartlett/Glenbard North) picked off a Joe Albin pass and returned it to the 31-yard line. A face-mask penalty on Millikin moved the ball to the 26-yard line.
Elmhurst capitalized on the turnover with Mike LaFleur (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./H.S.) hitting Terence Young (Chicago/DeLaSalle) on a 10-yard touchdown pass. Tyler Lomnicki's (Elmhurst/York) extra point gave Elmhurst a 17-16 lead with 14:21 to play.
On the ensuing kickoff, Millikin drove to the Bluejays' 26-yard line but Aaron McLean missed a 44-yard field goal that would have put the Big Blue on top.
Elmhurst's offense took over and began eating away at the clock. The Bluejays drove all the way to the 13-yard line before a pass interference penalty gave Elmhurst a first-and-goal at the Big Blue 8-yard line. With Millikin out of timeouts, the Bluejays continued to pound the ball on the ground, running off more time. Facing a third-and-goal from the Millikin 7-yard line, Elmhurst was flagged for a chop block. The penalty drove the Bluejays back to the 22-yard line. After a three-yard gain, the Bluejays set up for a 36-yard field goal. The Bluejays ran a fake, with Kyle Grimes (Winthrop Harbor/Zion Benton) rushing to the nine-yard line to keep the clock running and pin Millikin deep in their own territory.
With less than a minute to play, the Big Blue took over on downs. After a short Albin pass, the Big Blue had under 40 seconds to work with at their own 17-yard line. Albin threw a long pass down the sideline that was hauled in by Matt Kormelink. Kormelink avoided the Bluejays safety and raced to the 15-yard line before being tackled. A personal foul penalty on the Bluejays moved the ball to the 10-yard line. Nathan Wallick put Millikin on top with a 10-yard touchdown run with 19 seconds to play. The two-point conversion was missed and the Big Blue led 22-17.
Elmhurst had one last chance. The Bluejays moved to midfield with eight seconds to play. Ryan Freund (Johnsburg/H.S.) unloaded the ball to the end zone in a hail mary, but the ball was tipped twice and intercepted by Millikin's Stefen Edwards to end the game.
The game was very even on paper with Millikin holding a 323-320 total offense advantage. The Bluejays outgained the Big Blue on the ground 135-106, but Millikin had a 217-185 advantage through the air.
Elmhurst jumped out to an early 10-0 lead with a pair of first half scores. The Bluejays took the opening kickoff and drove 64 yards, settling for a Lomnicki 34-yard field goal. Elmhurst added a touchdown early in the second quarter when LaFleur capped an eight-play, 48-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run.
Millikin cut the lead to three right before halftime, moving 80-yards in 11 plays with Kormelink hauling in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Albin.
A McLean 34-yard field goal midway through the third quarter evened the score at 10-10 and Millikin took the lead late in the third when Albin hit Neil Linhart for a 31-yard score.
Elmhurst was led by David Wilharm's (Elgin/Harper C.C.) 120-yard rushing performance. Wilharm carried 28 times, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. He became the first Bluejay to break the 100-yard mark this season. LaFleur finished 14-of-26 for 185 yards and a touchdown. Young was the Bluejays' leading receiver, catching three passes for 34 yards and a score.
Wallick carried 15 times for 56 yards and a touchdown to pace Millikin on the ground. Albin finished 14-of-24 for 217 yards and two scores. Kormelink hauled in four passes for 99 yards including a touchdown.
John Scardullo (Monee/Peotone) led Elmhurst's defense with 11 tackles (seven solo) while Ryan Bailey finished with 13 tackles to pace the Big Blue.
Elmhurst will attempt to close out the season on a positive note when the Bluejays travel to North Park University next Saturday (November 11) to face the Vikings.
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