Lancers lose in 2 OTs
Don't be surprised if Wes Allen sits out a few dances tonight.
His legs might give out on him after the St. Charles East senior tailback carried the ball 42 times for 280 yards and a personal-record 6 touchdowns during the Saints' thrilling 42-41 double-overtime homecoming triumph over Lake Park Friday night at Norris Stadium.
"I hope I have some energy left (for the dance)," said Allen, whose team improved to 4-1, 3-0 in Upstate Eight Conference action. "I'm looking forward to that - not as much as this - but I'm looking forward to having a good time tonight."
Ironically, it was Allen's fourth-quarter fumble that eventually led to the Lancers' late touchdown and game-tying 2-point conversion. Junior quarterback Larry Nawrot tossed a 25-yard TD pass to Jakob Szymula with 4:26 remaining to make it 28-26 before the Lancers went into their bag of tricks on the subsequent 2-point conversion.
Lined up at flanker, Artie Monaco reversed field to get the handoff from Nawrot before delivering a strike to the Lancers' quarterback-turned-receiver on the far side of the field to tie the game at 28-28. St. Charles East got the ball first at the Lancers' 10-yard line in the first overtime, and two plays later, Allen found the end zone from a yard out to give the Saints a 35-28 lead.
After a pass interference penalty on the Saints, Lake Park scored the equalizer on Chris Jasinski's 3-yard run and Peter Demars' extra-point kick. In the second OT, Nawrot connected with Szymula on a 10-yard touchdown pass to put the Lancers on top 41-35.
However, Szymula, the Lake Park holder, was stopped short of the end zone by the Saints' Jack Leopardo on the 2-point conversion attempt.
"That wasn't a fake," said Lancers coach Andy Livingston. "The snap was high and he (Szymula) felt like he couldn't get it down in time - that it was going to get blocked. I thought it was a smart move."
Moments later, Allen powered his way into the zone for his sixth TD of the night, and place-kicker Dan Keller provided the game-winning PAT, setting off a wild Saints' celebration.
With the game tied at 14-14 at halftime, the Saints fell behind 20-14 after Kevin Thomas' 1-yard TD run midway through the third quarter. But St. Charles East responded with 14 unanswered points, specifically two more Allen TD runs (of 2 and 12 yards), to take a 28-20 lead after 3 quarters. Phil Kohlhagen's interception helped set up Allen's fourth TD of the game before the Lancers charged back.
"They are a good team," Monken said of the Lancers. "The sad part is they're a good team that's 1-4. We're fortunate to get out of here with a win."
"I'm very proud of what our kids did," Livingston said. "We've lost some tough games this year and that's a tough one to lose when you're right there."