CL South stops Bartlett's attempt to win
Tom Meaney and the Bartlett Hawks went to Crystal Lake South with only one thing in mind: Defeat the Gators, who pummeled the Hawks 40-0 in Bartlett a year ago.
Meaney wasn't interested in a tie or an overtime.
With 1:18 left in the game, Bartlett quarterback AJ Bilyeu scored from 1-yard out to slice South's lead to 10-9. Meaney, without hesitation, ordered his troops to go for the 2-point conversion and the possible win.
Bilyeu connected with tight end Russell Martin at the 1-yard line, but Martin was stopped short of the end zone by the sure-handed tackling of Kenny King and Brendan Chrystal.
The result was the Gators holding on to a 10-9 victory over Bartlett in nonconference action at South's Ken Bruhn Field Friday night.
"There was no doubt in my mind I was going for the 2 points and the win," said Meaney. "We dribbled the ball down the field to score and I had no doubt we would score on the 2-point conversion. We had a good play call, but the South kids made a great play.
"I am very proud of our kids. They played with a lot of heart."
Crystal Lake South first-year head coach Chuck Ahsmann didn't see who made the decisive stop.
"I didn't see who made the tackle, but it was a great play to save the win," said Ahsmann. "We saw Bartlett last week against Hoffman Estates and we knew this would be a very tough game. They have skilled kids and are very physical."
Crystal Lake South (2-0), which trailed Bartlett 3-0 at halftime, finally got on the scoreboard in the third quarter when Drew Ormseth found Kean Loupee wide open in the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown with 5:15 left in the third quarter.
The Gators scored what turned out to be the winning points when Brad Walovitch kicked a 26-yard field goal with 6:59 left in the game.
Bruising fullback Bolek Mikulec led the Gators with 104 yards on 24 carries.
"Our offensive line did a great job of blocking and opened some good holes," said Mikulec. "I was able to gain 4, 5, 6 yards a crack. Bartlett was a big physical team and they came to play. We beat them 40-0 last year but we knew it would be a much tougher game this season."