Neuqua Valley 24, Bartlett 23

What a difference a kicker makes, and the Bartlett Hawks found that out the hard way Friday night.

With just over a minute remaining in the game, the Hawks crept within one point of the Neuqua Valley Wildcats (3-4, 3-2) after a 13-yard touchdown run by Vinnie Libreri.

With starting kicker Andrew Reuter and backup Alex VanNess getting roughed up, Hawks coach Tom Meaney called for a 2-point conversion.

"We were down to our third kicker," Meaney said. "Reuter came out late in the third and VanNess was hit hard earlier in the fourth."

Libreri took the carry and apparently crossed the goal line for a Hawk lead, but the officials saw it another way.

"There was no other choice but to go for it," Libreri said. "I thought I was in, but I guess not."

Neuqua Valley came away with the 24-23 win to keep its playoff hopes alive.

The Hawks (4-3, 3-2) jumped to an early 10-0 lead over the Wildcats in the first half after a 20-yard touchdown run by quarterback Josh Hasenberg in the first and a 35-yard field goal by Reuter in the second while the defense held the Wildcat offense silent for most of the half.

But the Wildcats, with help from Anton Wilkins -- who ran for 160 total yards -- took control with a Wilkins 11 yard TD run with 19 seconds remaining in the first half followed by 6 yard TD run early in the second half for a 14-10 lead.

"We finally got things going on offense," said Wildcats coach Brian Wells. "Our running game picked up near the end of the first half, and we were able to keep that going in the second."

The Wildcats never relinquished the lead, but the Hawks were able to tie the game at 17-17 with 2:38 left to play on a 3 yard run by Corleon Richardson.

But the Wildcats struck right back with just under two minutes to go with good field position at the Bartlett 43 with a 39 yard run by Wilkins to cap the drive.

With the win, the Wildcats keep playoff contention alive.

"We need every win. We lose and we're done," Wells said. "That's (Bartlett) a playoff team over there, and to come in and beat them is just huge."

For the Hawks, the loss not only came on homecoming, but it also forces them to have a must-win mentality the next two weeks against Thornton and East Aurora.

"We got to win out," Meaney said. "Five wins isn't going to get us into the playoffs."