VanNess' pick in end zone saves Bartlett win

A week after winning a four-overtime instant classic, another unforgettable victory appeared to be within Neuqua Valley's grasp as Josh Schaffer wrapped his hands around an Alex Lincoln pass in the back corner of the end zone with five seconds left and the Wildcats trailing visiting Bartlett by 3.

But after Schaffer crashed to the turf, it was not him but Bartlett's Alex VanNess who leapt up triumphantly with the ball in his hands, enabling the undefeated Hawks to escape Naperville with a spine-tingling 31-28 Upstate Eight Conference win.

"I really don't know what happened on the last play," Schaffer said. "I thought I had it, I went to the ground and then I didn't have it. It's disappointing."

Schaffer won't feel any better when he finds out that VanNess - a receiver by trade who had 5 catches for 86 yards in the game - was only back there due to a last-gasp gamble by the Bartlett coaching staff.

"VanNess was only in there for two or three plays in the game - and that's the first time he's played safety all year," said Bartlett coach Tom Meaney. "We decided we had to get our best athletes on the field."

VanNess' pick was the only spotlight moment for the game's defensive backs as the contest turned into an aerial showcase for the respective quarterbacks, Bartlett's Josh Hasenberg and Neuqua's Lincoln, who combined to complete 44 of 64 pass attempts for 622 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Those performances were needed since the running games were essentially non-existent as the teams managed only 131 yards on the ground in 56 carries.

The eventual game-winning play came with 1 minute, 14 seconds to play when Hasenberg found Cory Brown on a seam route that turned into a 41-yard touchdown. It was the first time in the game that the Hawks (7-0, 5-0) ran that particular scheme.

"We hadn't run that play in the game, so we didn't think they were expecting it," Hasenberg said. "We run a lot of two-minute drills in practice, so I was very confident we could score again."

The heroics saved the Hawks from having to rue giving up a 10-point fourth-quarter lead as Lincoln led the Wildcats (3-4, 2-3) back from a 24-14 deficit with a 4-yard pass to Schaffer at the nine-minute mark and a 16-yard hookup with Conner Yearian with five minutes to play.

The game appeared to turn permanently in Bartlett's favor when Dante Perez returned a fumble 42 yards for a score and, following a successful onside kick, Hasenberg snuck in from the 1 for a 17-7 edge with one minute left in the half, but Lincoln's 41-yard toss to Yearian pulled Neuqua within 17-14 at the break. Hasenberg's 7-yard run early in the fourth quarter gave Bartlett its 24-14 edge.