Never too late for these Wildcats

They were seemingly without a pulse after three weeks, a program just four years removed from an undefeated season and Class 7A state championship.

A loss to Lake Zurich gave Libertyville its first 0-3 start ever under head coach Randy Kuceyeski. That, after the Wildcats missed the state playoffs last year for the first time since 1996.

But then, they're cats after all.

"Cats," a smiling Martha Kuceyeski, her arm wrapped around her husband, said Saturday at Lake Forest, "have nine lives."

And so Libertyville's Wildcats live. They're back in the state playoffs after a one-year absence thanks to their 24-7 win over host Lake Forest. The regular-season finale between the two North Suburban Lake Division teams - which Libertyville needed to win to be playoff-eligible - was supposed to have been played Friday night, but was postponed due to lightning and rain.

"We handed out T-shirts - 'The Power of 9' - after we lost our first three," Randy Kuceyeski said.

Libertyville (5-4, 4-2) finished with 42 playoff points, more than enough to earn an at-large berth. The Wildcats head into the postseason with five wins in their last six games.

"Really," middle linebacker Andrew Jones said, "being 0-3 just helped us. It really lit a fire under us. (Beating) Stevenson (in Week 6) helped us out that much more."

Lake Forest (5-4, 2-4), which also was rewarded with an at-large playoff berth, opened Saturday's game with a 15-play drive that stalled at the Libertyville 13. The Scouts then missed the first of 2 field-goal tries in the opening half.

Libertyville responded by briskly moving the ball on offense. The Wildcats scored on their first four possessions, getting touchdowns runs from 9 and 5 yards out by James Zotto (15 carries, 95 yards), from 4 yards away by Nate Johnson (11 carries, 91 yards) and a 26-yard field goal from Andy Sitz.

It was quite different from a year ago, when Lake Forest beat Libertyville 23-20 in Week 9 to end the Wildcats' playoff hopes.

"We definitely came out fired up to play this team," Johnson said. "We really wanted to play them (Friday) night. There was definitely a revenge factor. We wanted to stick it to them for last year, for knocking us out."

Lake Forest came into the game averaging 30 points per game but were without sophomore tailback TJ Jackson, who rushed for 137 yards and 2 TDs the previous week against Zion-Benton, and fellow running back Austin Goldberg, who had an out-of-town commitment. Wide receiver Connor Moutvic caught 6 passes in the first quarter but left the game before halftime with an ankle injury.

Up 24-0, Libertyville fumbled the second kickoff, but Lake Forest fumbled it right back, with Jones recovering. The first of Jonathan Sobinsky's 2 interceptions gave the ball back to Lake Forest, again in Libertyville territory, but the Wildcats' defense held, again.

Lake Forest finally scored with 1:19 left, denying Libertyville its second straight shutout. Quarterback Tom Rees (23-of-38 passing, 193 yards) engineered an 85-yard drive that John Cavalaris capped with a 1-yard plunge.

"They kept their starters in and we had our backups in," said Jones, who also had a sack. "So, really, I look at it like our first team had the shutout."

"I thought (Libertyville) played very well," said coach Chuck Spagnoli, whose Scouts got 109 rushing yards from Eric Gerber. "You just got to give them credit and we move on."

So does Libertyville. There was never a doubt the Wildcats would, according to their head coach.

"Not in my mind," Kuceyeski said. "In other people's minds maybe. But I knew from the beginning this was a good football team. I told these guys in July we were. I never stopped believing in them."