Rough finish jolts Conant
The damaging winds that burst through the Chicagoland area on Thursday would have had a difficult time breaking through Lake Park's defensive line.
The Lancers held the Conant offense to just 79 yards and saved their best for last in a 16-13 nonconference football victory Friday night at Feutz Field in Hoffman Estates.
"We rushed the quarterback when we had to. We played run well with the linebackers. It was a team effort," said Lake Park defensive coach Bob Nihells.
With the game knotted at 13 and less than a minute to play, the Lancers defense didn't just make a stand.
They made a play, hitting Conant quarterback Tom Houle in the backfield as he pitched the ball to his running back. Linebacker Chris Buonvolanto recovered the ball at the 30-yard line.
Peter Demars made his team a winner three plays later with his third field goal of the night from 28 yards with just 8.8 seconds left.
"I was hoping to God it went in," the junior kicker said of his game-winner. "It feels unbelievable."
The Lancers sacked Houle six times on the evening and held Conant to just nine yards in the first half. Still, Lake Park trailed 7-6 at the break.
"We knew we had to win. We had to come through," defensive end Salvador Acevedo said of his team's halftime discussion.
Acevedo came through immediately once play resumed, halting Conant's opening drive. The Cougars moved the ball all the way to the 35 before the 6-foot-1 linebacker took advantage of a Conant mistake and recorded the first of his two sacks on a 4th-and-2 play.
"Our motion got messed up five or six times tonight. On (that play) our motion messed up and cost us what I thought would have been a scoring drive," Conant coach Bill Modelski said.
The Cougars managed their only offensive touchdown of the evening on a 35-yard run from Houle.
"We were looking for that all game. Unfortunately we couldn't get it until the third quarter," Houle said.
Conant scored its first touchdown on a 35-yard interception return from sophomore Otto Linderman in the first quarter.
Lake Park tied it at 13-13 with 5:59 left on a 17-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Larry Nawrot (9-for-21, 118 yards) to junior Sean White.
said Lake Park defensive coach Bob Nihells.
With the game knotted at 13 and less than a minute to play, the Lancers defense didn't just make a stand.
They made a play, hitting Conant quarterback Tom Houle in the backfield as he pitched the ball to his running back. Linebacker Chris Buonvolanto recovered the ball at the 30-yard line.
Peter Demars made his team a winner three plays later with his third field goal of the night from 28 yards with just 8.8 seconds left.
"I was hoping to God it went in," the junior kicker said of his game-winner. "It feels unbelievable."
The Lancers sacked Houle six times on the evening and held Conant to just nine yards in the first half. Still, Lake Park trailed 7-6 at the break.
"We knew we had to win. We had to come through," defensive end Salvador Acevedo said of his team's halftime discussion.
Acevedo came through immediately once play resumed, halting Conant's opening drive. The Cougars moved the ball all the way to the 35 before the 6-foot-1 linebacker took advantage of a Conant mistake and recorded the first of his two sacks on a 4th-and-2 play.
"Our motion got messed up five or six times tonight. On (that play) our motion messed up and cost us what I thought would have been a scoring drive," Conant coach Bill Modelski said.
The Cougars managed their only offensive touchdown of the evening on a 35-yard run from Houle.
"We were looking for that all game. Unfortunately we couldn't get it until the third quarter," Houle said.
Conant scored its first touchdown on a 35-yard interception return from sophomore Otto Linderman in the first quarter.
Lake Park tied it at 13-13 with 5:59 left on a 17-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Larry Nawrot (9-for-21, 118 yards) to junior Sean White.