Waubonsie Valley proves it wants to win
As far as potential momentum-changing plays go, Oswego's Friday night trip down Route 34 to Waubonsie Valley's Dick Kerner Stadium had it all: a blocked field goal, 3 interceptions (one in the end zone), shanked punts, a touchdown scored as time expired in the first half, a pooch kickoff recovered by the kicking team and a long TD run among them.
But when it came down to it, the difference in Waubonsie Valley's 22-18 victory was determined by one of football's main tenets - who wanted it more.
Trailing 18-15 with the ball on Oswego's 4-yard line and a running clock approaching 10 seconds to play, Warriors quarterback Kenny Clay lofted a pass to the back corner of the end zone. Receiver Eric Theilacker and Oswego defensive back Johnny Boecker both came down with two hands wrapped around the ball as they crashed to the end-zone turf.
While Boecker jumped up with the ball in his possession, the officials - after a brief discussion - determined that Theilacker had maintained possession long enough to register the winning score.
In Theilacker's mind, there was no doubt about the ruling.
"Kenny just threw it up and I just jumped and I came down with it," he said. "I knew I had it, it was all me."
Waubonsie coach Paul Murphy called the 6-foot-3 Theilacker's number because he suspected the Oswego defense would be keying on Scott Kuehn, who had earlier caught a 55-yard scoring pass.
"Theilacker made a heck of a catch," Murphy said. "Kenny threw a perfect ball and our big kid went up and got it."
The play ended a seesaw night that saw the lead change hands four times. Kuehn's TD catch staked the Warriors (1-1) to a 7-0 lead after one quarter, but Oswego looked to have the momentum swing its way when Nathan Linden grabbed a 13-yard scoring pass from Ryan West as the first half ended.
A missed PAT attempt, however, left Waubonsie ahead 7-6 at the break. Oswego (1-1) went ahead when West hooked up from 3 yards out with Joe Kwiatkowski in the third quarter, but Jason Lockowitz's 48-yard sprint sent the Warriors back ahead, 15-12 with six minutes to play.
The Panthers followed with an 80-yard drive capped by Sean Danielson's 4-yard run with 1 minute, 27 seconds left before Theilacker grabbed the hero's mantle.
"We practice the two-minute drill every day and you put the defense at a disadvantage when you use it because they don't have time to adjust," Murphy said. "I just have to give credit to our kids; they didn't hang their heads when we went down 18-15."