St. Charles East had no trouble scoring Friday night, but what the Saints really needed was a big defensive stop.
Ben Gray obliged with 10 minutes to play when his sack of St. Charles North quarterback David Manny left the North Stars buried at their own 29-yard line.
Two plays later, they punted. Seven plays after that, East tailback John Brown punched in the game-winning touchdown from a yard out as the Saints went up by 12 on their way to a 40-35 Upstate Eight triumph.
“We had the total package,” said Brown, who rushed for 294 yards and scored twice. “We were so up for this game. This year we really stepped it up.”
The victory over North was the first in four years for East (7-2, 5-1). North slipped to 6-3, 5-2.
Saints quarterback Tyler Fishbone threw for four TDs, including passes of 9, 10, 13 yards to C.J. Kumerow. He also hit Dustin Dieter for a 9-yard score.
St. Charles North running back Ryan McPherson scored on a 38-yard run and a 15-yard pass from Manny and also threw a 9-yard TD strike to Adam Schiltz. Jack Brooks and Daniel Duncan each ran for touchdowns.
