advertisement

Fate smiles on Vernon Hills at Glenbrook North

A pair of fourth-quarter comebacks came down to the final play from regulation.

After missing from 34 and 25 yards out, receiving penalties after each attempt, Glenbrook North's Tommy Gertner was lined up and set for a 20-yard chip shot to remain unbeaten and spoil Vernon Hills' comeback party.

The kick went up and sailed to the left of the goal post for the third consecutive try. William Lutz Stadium was left stone cold silent.

The visiting Cougars stunned the Central Suburban leaders and clinched a playoff berth with a hard fought 26-25 victory.

"Sometimes this game's a little bit of luck," said Vernon Hills coach Bill Bellecomo. "Three tries. … That was nice."

Vernon Hills (6-2, 3-1) rallied from a 17-0 deficit to claim its first lead in the fourth quarter. Then, after the Spartans (7-1, 3-1) stormed back in front, Cougar quarterback Kyle Hull capped his strongest performance of the season by guiding a 65-yard scoring drive and go-ahead 2-point conversion toss that gave the visitors a one-point edge with 56 seconds remaining.

Glenbrook North quarterback Kevin Burnside, a thorn in the Cougars' side for much of play, charged for four first downs and set his team up for a shot at victory with six seconds remaining.

Three kicks later, it was not to be.

"I couldn't believe it," said Bellecomo. "It seemed like we weren't getting many breaks there in the second half, but our seniors really brought this program back from the time they were freshmen and they wanted this playoff spot. It was a total team effort"

Hull completed 17 of 34 throws for 211 yards, three touchdowns and a pick, while gaining 58 yards on 15 carries with a score on top of 28 yards receiving to pace Vernon Hills.

"I came in with a ton of energy and knew that we could beat this team," said Hull. "They're a great team - hat's off to them - but I felt that fourth quarter we really put it together, had tons of heart and really wanted this win."

It was all Spartans early.

On their first offensive drive, Alexander Bubaris took a lateral from quarterback Kevin Burnside and launched a 25-yard strike to a wide open T.J. Weinzimmer for the game's first score.

After holding Vernon Hills to a punt, Burnside guided a drive into the second quarter with a spiral to a backwards-diving Gertner, who kept his feet in bounds for a 17-yard score.

Glenbrook North's third drive was capped by a 37-yard Gertner field goal to make it a 17-0 game.

Vernon Hills found its offensive rhythm on its final drive of the half. Hull connected with a 31-yard strike to Jeff Rosenstock, and then reeled in an 18-yard grab from Jack Himel to move into Spartan territory.

Hull picked up a first down on the ground before finding Drew Winegardner twice inside the 10 - the latter a three-yard score with 44 seconds remaining. A blocked extra point, however, made it a 17-6 game at the half.

The third quarter saw both teams squander opportunities at points. Vernon Hills was stalled on four downs in Spartan territory, while the home team saw a fake field goal attempt go awry.

The fourth quarter, however, was a different story.

Hull guided the Cougars 70 yards with a mix of run and pass on the team's first drive of the final stanza, hitting Christopher Mariella for a gain of 24 plus a roughing the passer penalty to place the ball inside the red-zone.

Hull found Mariella again from 8 yards out to make it a one score contest.

On the flip side, Max Lyle delivered a clutch interception of Burnside to return the momentum.

A screen pass to Winegardner netted 31 yards and placed the ball inside the five. On a third and four, Hull struck an open Nick Marras to give the visitors a one-point lead with 7:26 remaining.

The Spartans were dealt a tough blow one play into the following drive as Burnside left the game after the first play of the drive. Vernon Hills would force a punt only to see the football deflect off of one of their own men and land into the hands of Glenbrook North.

Tailback Jimmy Karfis picked up two first downs on the ground and drove the team to the 25, where a returning Burnside struck Gertner with a 25-yard scoring toss and a conversion pass to make it a seven-point game with 3:57 remaining.

Back came Vernon Hills.

Hull hit a pair of throws before finding Winegardner for a key 38-yard pickup inside the 10. The quarterback would escape pressure on a called pass play and sprint unscathed from eight yards into the end-zone.

"Drew made a great catch and we got into great position and knew we had to score," Hull said. "It was supposed to be a throw, but I didn't see any receivers open so I took it in."

Instead of kicking an extra point and playing for overtime, the visitors wanted to play the role of spoiler.

As the defense buckled down on Hull, Winegardner emerged open for an easy pitch and catch to take the decisive lead.

"We wanted to go for the win right there," said Winegardner, who had nine catches for 100 yards and a score. "They blitzed the cornerback that was on me all night and Kyle found me. I was wide open."

Offensively, Mariella added four catches for 59 yards and a score, while Rosenstock made three grabs for 47 yards for Vernon Hills.

Burnside was 23 of 36 for 240 yards with a pair of scores and an interception, also tallying 62 yards on the ground for the Spartans. Gertner finished with 15 catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.