Lisle comes up 1 point short

Lisle came up one point short in keeping its playoff hopes alive Friday night.

The Lions, needing a win to stay in the IHSA playoff hunt, lost a heartbreaking 29-28 contest to visiting Herscher, ending their season with a 4-5 record.

“(The Tigers) were 7-1 coming into this game, but we knew we could play with anyone,” senior Mitch McCarthy said. “We came up one point short, but we put a lot into this season and we played with a lot of heart.”

When asked what he was going to remember most about his senior season, McCarthy's answer was simple.

“That we never quit,” he said. “We may have been down at times, but we never quit.”

After Herscher took a 12-0 lead midway through the first quarter, the two teams traded scores for much of the first half. The highlight of the half was a 22-yard halfback pass from Anthony Ventrella to Levi Smith for Lisle's first touchdown of the game with 3:39 left in the first quarter.

“We rep that play a lot in practice, and it really paid off for us,” Smith said.

McCarthy gave Lisle its first lead of the game midway through the third quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run, putting his team up 22-19.

Leading 22-19 and looking to extend its lead, Lisle quarterback Nick Saul lost a fumble at the Lions' 36-yard line on the opening drive of the fourth quarter. The turnover eventually led to a Herscher field goal and a 22-22 score with 8:38 left in the game.

On the ensuing drive the Lions were given good field position, starting at Herscher's 43-yard line. Five plays later, Lisle was at its opponent's 1-yard line when it fumbled, which was then recovered by Herscher's Luke Stetson.

After a three-and-out series by Herscher, Lisle capitalized on its momentum, going on a 5-play, 55-yard drive, leading to a 3-yard touchdown run by Ventrella. The run was set up two plays earlier when Saul found Smith for a 32-yard pass play. The ensuing 2-point conversion failed, but Lisle had the lead 28-22 with 2:40 left in the game.

Herscher quarterback Patrick Long led his team on the game-winning drive with a pair of completions to Justin Ruckman, setting up a 12-yard touchdown run by Jeremy Daverin, with the extra point putting the Tigers ahead by 1.

Ruckman intercepted a Lisle pass with 48 seconds left to seal the win for the Tigers.