Elgin’s Trevon Morris and his teammates surrounded teary-eyed running back Dae’Vion Arthur to try and console him Saturday night.
Maroons coach Anthony Mason felt even worse.
Elgin could have eaten the clock inside East Aurora’s 5-yard line for the Maroons’ first victory since 2014. But Arthur fumbled on a running play and the Tomcats’ Nasir Phillips returned it 96 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
That happened with 22 seconds remaining. In just a few seconds, Phillips ruined Elgin’s stunning comeback from an 18-0 deficit as East Aurora notched a 26-22 nonconference victory at Aurora Christian’s field.
“I didn’t play it smart,” Mason said. “I definitely should have had us take the knee and made them use their timeouts.
“I told my guys I took 100 percent of that loss. The onus is on me, because they fought their hearts out in the fourth quarter and nobody can take that away from them.”
In the final 30 seconds, Arthur was churning for extra yardage. Phillips went for the ball and took it away at the 4.
“I just saw it and fisted it out of his hands, punched it out of his hands,” Phillips said. “It ended up in my other hand and I just ran it back.”
Elgin (0-1) trailed 18-0 late in the third quarter and seemed buried by its own mistakes before Morris took over at quarterback for starter Kristan Flowers. Morris’ lightning speed turned around the game.
Morris made a Russell Wilson-style scramble, changing direction three times before finding Raymone Bridges alone in the end zone across the field on a 34-yard TD pass with 3:41 left in the third quarter
“I was just trusting my instinct,” Morris said. “I looked for my brother, Shareick, my primary receiver and thought about just running it, but Raymone was wide open.”
Then Elgin’s Souriya Syavong ripped the ball from Phillips at East Aurora’s 10 to set up Shareick Morris’ 3-yard TD run with 8:36 left to play. Arthur’s 2-point conversion run cut Elgin’s deficit to 18-16.
Arthur put Elgin ahead 22-18 with a 5-yard TD run at the end of a 57-yard drive with 3:41 remaining, and the comeback seemed complete.
“The comeback was amazing,” Trevon Morris said. “My team fought with all their heart. I love this team. We just couldn’t finish.”
More Top Picks Best Cb Base Stations
When Roy Panthier sacked East Aurora’s Ziare Williams on fourth down and Arthur broke off a 43-yard run to East Aurora’s 8, an Elgin win seemed imminent. Then came the fateful fumble.
The Maroons had one last chance after Phillips’ winning return, as Shareick Morris’ 48-yard kick return put the ball at the East 26 with seven seconds remaining. But a last-second pass in the end zone was broken up.
“We had it won, and it was going to feel so good to win after not doing it for so long,” Shareick Morris said. “We were just too cocky about it. We should have just taken off time.
“I broke down when it happened. I couldn’t believe it.”
Arthur was even more emotional.
So was his coach.
“Dae’Vion is one tough kid — he’ll bounce back,” Mason said. “My fault entirely.”
Twitter @genechamberlai2