The Mustangs had a huge advantage in time of possession, and they used a 78-yard drive that started with 1:49 to play and culminated in a game-winning touchdown pass from Mike Cuzzone to Kent Hughes with 38 seconds left for a stunning 34-31 upset of top-rated Naperville Central in the Class 8A championship game Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

The Redhawks' last chance ended with a clinching interception by Mustangs sophomore Sam Carson.

"Who else could have completed that last drive?'' Downers Grove South coach John Belskis said. "[Cuzzone] took us all the way down the field into the wind. We needed a hero and he's our hero, but not the only one.''

Cuzzone was 17-of-21 passing for 228 yards and two touchdowns. Hughes had 11 catches for 165 yards.

"[Cuzzone] is an outstanding quarterback,'' Naperville Central coach Joe Bunge said. "Whenever they needed a big play, he stepped up and delivered.''

"We knew we had to pick the defense up with the last drive,'' Cuzzone said. "We practiced the two-minute drill all week. On the last play, I saw they were blitzing in the gap, and all I could think about was getting rid of the ball. Hughes made some great catches on the last drive.''

"It was time for action,'' Hughes said. "And I was glad to have the opportunity to make those catches and just make a play.''

The time of possession wound up 33:31 to 14:29 and included 6-of-6 on fourth-down conversions by the Mustangs.

"We wanted to win the game,'' Belskis said. "If you go for it and don't make it, you're a bum. If you make it, you're state champions.''

"They had the ball the whole game,'' Bunge said. "That takes a lot of discipline, and they didn't turn it over.''

Naperville Central cut an 11-point halftime deficit to 21-17 early in the third quarter on a 16-yard pass from Phil Horvath (16-of-25, 310 yards) to Tyke Spencer (eight catches, 178 yards). But the Mustangs came right back and scored on a two-yard run by Bob Nakielny. Naperville Central responded with a 27-yard scoring run by Jason Paquette. The extra point was no good, making it 28-23.

The Mustangs then put together a drive that took 9:56--but after a holding penalty, a missed 20-yard field-goal try gave the Redhawks the ball at their 20 with 2:55 to play.

It took the Redhawks just four plays to drive 80 yards and take their first lead of the game, 31-28, on a 40-yard pass from Horvath to Spencer.

Naperville Central started with the ball and Downers South with the wind, which turned into a big advantage for the underdog Mustangs. After forcing a punt, Downers South mixed passing and running on a 14-play, 79-yard scoring drive capped by a one-yard touchdown run by Nakielny.

Another Naperville Central punt was followed by a 15-play drive by the Mustangs as Nakielny scored from the 1 for a 14-0 lead with 6:14 to play in the second quarter.

The Redhawks finally got to run their offense with the wind at their backs and put together a seven-play, 58-yard drive as freshman Eric Small scored from one yard out.

But the Mustangs came right back and converted three third downs in an 11-play drive that covered 72 yards. Cuzzone finished it with a five-yard touchdown pass to Hughes 26 seconds before halftime. A key play was a 28-yard option pass from running back Erik Newman to Mitch Szczepaniak.

But Horvath completed a 39-yard pass to Spencer and a 21-yarder to Dan Passarelli to set up a 28-yard field goal by Chris Szatko as time expired to cut the deficit to 21-10.

After starting the season 1-2, the Mustangs won 11 in a row including an overtime upset of 2000 state champion Maine South last week in the semifinals.