Guerin starts quick, holds on

Updated: September 30, 2011 11:41PM

This is the year both the Aurora Central and Guerin football teams have their best chance to make the playoffs.

In a game both teams needed to win on a chilly and rainy night in River Grove, the Gators held on to win 18-15 in Suburban Christian Conference Gold Division action Friday night. Both teams are now 3-3 overall.

“This was huge,” said Guerin coach Tony Pecoraro, whose Gators improved 2-1 in the conference. “This is a great program win. They deserved this. They proved they can play with these guys.”

“We are not dead yet,” said ACC coach Brian Casey, whose Chargers are 1-2 in the conference. “We thought by showing up, we were the better team and that was not the case.”

The Gators jumped out to an 18-0 lead at the half, starting with a first quarter touchdown from Eric Giovenco. In the second quarter, quarterback Tom Kelly connected with John Dabe for a 46-yard touchdown at 7:56. Matt Deleon caught a 4-yard pass from Kelly with 3:35 left in the half.

“(Kelly) played outstanding today, but this was a real team win,” Pecoraro said. “The offense played really well ... the defense won this game today.”

ACC picked up momentum in the third quarter on a pair of touchdowns. Luke Dickerson weaved in for a 16-yard run followed by a successful two-point conversion from quarterback Kyle Clechenko at 9:18. Less than three minutes later, Clechenko bolted for a 44-yard run (Kevin Bond’s kick was good) to cut the Gators’ to just 18-15.

Neither team was able to score after that and Guerin snapped its two-game losing streak.

“Our slow start eventually bit us in the rear end,” Casey said. “You can’t go down 18-0. We were able to come back and score twice — we already did that once this year — but three scores is tough.”

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