Concordia Chicago Surpasses Red Devils Late, 28-27
CHICAGO – The Eureka football team came up short in a 28-27 heartbreaker at Concordia Chicago on Saturday.
The Red Devils led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but the Cougars came back and outscored EC 21-3 in the second half.
Concordia Chicago went ahead for the first time with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Jakob Redmond to Gabe Dace with 49 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Eureka drove 55 yards on nine plays to set up a potential game-winning field goal, but Steven Bartkus's (Seneca, Ill./Seneca) 30-yard attempt hit the left upright in the final seconds.
EC wide receiver Sebastian Hill (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) recorded a season-high 125 receiving yards on a season-high nine catches. He also recorded his eighth touchdown reception of the season and the 18th of his career, putting him ahead of Nathan Hutchins and into fourth place in program history in receiving touchdowns. He also now ranks fourth in program history in receptions (118) and fourth in receiving yards (1,942).
Quarterback Kaeden Frazier (Clarkston, Wash./Clarkston) threw for 227 yards on 19-for-28 passing and had one touchdown and no interceptions.
Ben Bernabei (Peru, Ill./St. Bede Academy) rushed for 61 yards and scored two touchdowns. Angel Garcia (Elgin, Ill./Larkin/Concordia Chicago) finished with a team-high 69 rushing yards on 15 attempts.
Eureka got on the board first with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Frazier to Hill that completed an 11-play, 62-yard drive on EC's second possession of the game. The Cougars answered with a five-yard touchdown pass from Redmond to Henry Jones on their next opportunity.
The Red Devils regained the lead early in the second quarter, executing a six-play, 82-yard drive that included a 51-yard touchdown pass to Hill. It ended with a six-yard touchdown run up the middle by Bernabei.
The Eureka defense then stopped the Cougars, and the home team's ensuing punt was returned by Billy Nelson (Portland, Ore./Evergreen) 59 yards to the Concordia 14. A couple of minutes later, Bartkus extended the lead to 10 with a 13-yard field goal.
The maroon and gold scored again before the half to give the Red Devils their largest lead of the day.
After halftime, the Cougars cut the lead to 10 after piecing together a 14-play, 75-yard drive that took over seven minutes off the clock. Eureka then marched to the Concordia 5, but had to settle for another Bartkus field goal to make it 27-14.
The fourth quarter began with a 56-yard touchdown pass from Redmond to Jayce Levy. That made it a six-point game.
Neither team was able to capitalize on its opportunities until the go-ahead touchdown pass came with 49 seconds remaining.
Eureka's Brendan Durr (Washington, Ill./Washington) recorded a game-high 11 total tackles, including six assists and five solo efforts. Austin Hopkins (Arcola, Ill./Arcola) and Malik Jones (Chicago, Ill./Hubbard) each posted six total tackles, and Jones also recorded a team-high three pass breakups.
David Hill (Elgin, Ill./St. Edwards Catholic) contributed a forced fumble in the second half that Eureka recovered.
After a trio of tough losses, the Red Devils (4-3, 2-3 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference) will look to get back on track for next Saturday's Senior-Day matchup with Concordia Wisconsin (5-2, 4-1 NACC). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.