Edgar Perez went through his entire ritual for Elgin.
The senior defender has a particular approach he takes before every penalty kick.
“I always get the ball and turn it around three times,” he said. “I want to make sure I hit the part just right. Once I put the ball down, I make my decision what side I am going for.”
Perez made the right call Friday night.
He converted his PK attempt as the Maroons prevailed 5-4 in the shootout for a 3-2 victory over city rival Larkin in the Class 3A Hampshire Sectional championship game.
Top-seeded Elgin (20-0-3) rallied from a 2-0 deficit to earn the first sectional title in program history. The game was tied 2-2 after regulation and two 10-minute overtimes.
The Maroons will play defending state champion York (19-0-3) at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the Streamwood Supersectional.
“We made history,” Perez said.
Larkin (16-9) was seeking its third straight victory in avenging a previous loss. Elgin defeated Larkin 3-1 on Oct. 8 in Upstate Eight play.
“We beat Huntley in the regional title game and we lost to them during the season,” Larkin coach Michael Huizar said. “We did the same against Jacobs in the sectional semifinal.
“We were really looking forward to the rematch.”
It showed as the Royals grabbed a stunning 2-0 halftime lead on goals by senior forward Michael Noettl and junior forward Adrian Diaz.
It marked the first time this season Elgin allowed more than one goal in a game.
“Confidence is everything,” Huizar said. “At the beginning of the year, we lost in the finals of a couple of tournaments at Huntley and DeKalb.
“During this run, we learned not only how to play well, we learned how to play well together.”
During its 15-game winning streak, meanwhile, Elgin had not played in a one-goal game since defeating Lockport on Sept. 17.
“At halftime, we just said we have done this before,” Perez said. “We have scored five goals in a single game.
“We didn’t need to score four goals. We just had to try and get a tied score.”
Junior forward Eduardo Nava scored in the 48th minute for his team-best 24th goal.
“Everybody was still very encouraging and they just said to keep my head cool,” Nava said. “We worked too hard for this, training in the rain, training in the early morning.
“I just knew this was not how we were going to go down.”
Senior midfielder Omar Saldana created the equalizing goal for the Maroons.
The night proved electric for the larger Elgin soccer community. Fans from both sides lined the field at Hampshire.
“It was an intense game,” Huizar said. “Probably the most amazing I have ever been a part of in the nine years I have been doing this.
“Even though Elgin is on the East Side and Larkin the West Side, these kids all grow up playing together on clubs. Some of them are even neighbors. It was special.”
Even in defeat, Larkin made a statement.
“The kids knew how good they were,” Huizar said. “I told them it’s not enough to say that. You have prove it. We did that.”
There’s more left to do for Elgin, which played undefeated York to a scoreless tie in September at the Streamwood Tournament.
“I think it’s going to be a really good game again,” Nava said. “It’s going to show we are the better team.”
Perez said Elgin has been building toward this moment.
“We never get rattled, even when we got down like (Friday),” he said. “I was nervous, but also excited when I went to take my shot. It was one of the best feelings of my life.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
