Conant finds right Lane to thrilling win
Even though the uniforms showed two different teams on the field Friday night Conant and Hoffman Estates seemed to be one in the same on both sides of the ball.
A Mid-Suburban West matchup that looked as though it would be a defensively controlled game ended up turning into a showcase of offensive power down the stretch.
In the end, Conant would win in dramatic fashion, 22-21, for a double overtime homecoming victory.
"We always try to play tough defense and everyone did that tonight," said Conant lineman Anthony Pasowicz. "We played hard and got the job done."
Conant (4-3, 2-1) struck first as senior running back Kendall Lane (69 yards rushing, 44 receiving) made his first of many impressive moves on a 1-yard run.
The Hawks would answer before halftime as quarterback Frank Wadas connected with his brother Tom on a 5-yard touchdown catch to tie the game at 7-7.
Both the Cougars and Hoffman continued their defensive dominance throughout the third quarter. Led by senior linebacker Greg Carroll, the Hawks were able to keep the Conant offense at bay and capitalized on several opportunities to keep them out of the end-zone.
The final seven minutes of the fourth quarter were unlike any the entire game.
After getting themselves in field-goal range, Hoffman (2-5, 0-3) had the kick blocked and picked up by Cougar linebacker Otto Linderman. The junior would run the ball back to the Hoffman 41. It took only 5 plays for Conant quarterback Sean Smith (155 total yards) to sneak his way into the end zone as the Cougars took a 14-7 lead with five minutes left.
Not backing down, the Hawks collected 4 first downs on a drive that was capped of by junior Foyin Alade hauling in a 1-yard touchdown pass from Frank Wadas with two minutes left.
The Cougars would have one last chance before the end of regulation to win the game but were unable to connect on a 25-yard field goal.
With the Mayor's Trophy on the line, the two teams went into overtime fighting for a win. In the first overtime Conant could not convert on fourth down but its defense would force a fumble on Hoffman's first play to go into a second overtime.
From there the Hawks would capitalize as Frank Wadas scored on the left side for a 21-14 lead.
Conant would score on the very next play as Smith went up the right side for a 10-yard score. From there Conant coach Bill Modelski made a bold call and went for 2 points and Lane would receive the pitch from Smith and fight his way into the end zone for the victory.
"I had my eyes on the goal line," said Lane. "Luke Moczulski told me to stay behind him and that's just what I did and we finished the game off right."
"As a unit our defense played really well, especially Pasowicz and James Coleman," said Modelski. "Hoffman did some great things out there and they made us play sharp all night."