Sandwich 42, Lisle 21

Lisle's football team had made the postseason the last six years, but for the Lions the 2007 playoffs effectively started on Friday.

Attempting to evade a fifth loss and playoff elimination, Lisle couldn't halt the slide, falling 42-21 to Interstate Eight-Large foe Sandwich.

Mistakes that marred Lisle's first four games resumed at Benedictine University, ruining a memorable game by tailback Ricardo Lee, who gained 139 yards on 10 carries with touchdown runs of 41, 6 and 64 yards.

"I think we've just got to get a little bit more attitude on our team," Lee said.

He added: "We never give up hope."

It seemed in short supply after Sandwich (2-3, 1-1) scored on its opening drive, gathered its own kickoff left uncovered by Lisle, then went up 14-0 at 4:53 of the first quarter on the first of 2 Jordan Beckwith touchdown passes to John Hutchison.

Lee's first touchdown, a pitch left with a neat cutback, pulled the Lions within 14-7.

Sandwich's Chris McGary promptly answered with an 87-yard kickoff return. That led to Nick Futrell's 1-yard dive for a 20-7 lead just inside the second quarter.

From the shell game that is the Indians' Wing-T offense, Futrell and McGary ran for a respective 140 and 116 yards.

"We ran a couple traps and Nick had some good runs off that, and we ran a couple sweeps and we were trapping off that, but for the most part it was just straight up blocking, and they got the job done," Beckwith said.

A 26-yard pass from John Surber to Joe McCarthy set up Lee's 6-yard touchdown run but Sandwich again responded, with a 71-yard drive to take a 28-14 halftime lead.

Lisle (0-5, 0-2) had momentum 35 seconds into the third quarter, Lee taking Surber's option handoff 64 yards for a touchdown.

Michael Reeves' kick had the Lions within 28-21. Then the defense forced a punt --which was muffed, with possession back to Sandwich. The Indians capitalized six plays later on McGary's 3-yard touchdown run at 6:03 of the third quarter.

"They kept making some big plays on us, trying to steal that momentum back," said Sandwich coach Derek Avery. "We kept responding with some big plays on our own on offense and special teams."

Futrell iced it with a 35-yard touchdown run with 2:36 left in the game.

"It's unacceptable to me," disappointed Lisle coach Dan Sanko said after the first 0-5 start in his 11 seasons.

"I think our kids played hard tonight, I really do. But we find a way, we find a way."