Coal City breaks free from Lisle late in game
It was tough going all the way around Friday night at Benedictine University.
Coal City broke open a physical, defensive-minded football game with 2 touchdowns in the last 3 minutes, 8 seconds of the Interstate Eight Conference crossover to beat host Lisle 23-6.
"I was really impressed," Lisle coach Dan Sanko said of his defensive unit, which provided the Lions' only points on safety Anthony Ventrella's 87-yard interception return.
"I told them, that was the best I've seen a Lisle defense play in a long time," Sanko said. "They came to play. We just couldn't do anything offensively."
Coal City (1-1) allowed just 2 first downs and 54 yards of offense. Lisle (0-2) ran 36 offensive plays, which included 6 punts and a kneel-down by Lions sophomore quarterback Nick Saul after David Druse gave Coal City a 3-0 lead on his 37-yard field goal 48 seconds before halftime.
Sanko and Coal City coach Lenny Onsen have scrapped for 11 years on the gridiron - and maybe even a couple times back in their days at Eastern Illinois University when Sanko was a wrestler and Onsen a bodybuilder.
Onsen knew of Sanko's tough times since his fiancee, April Sorce, suffered a stroke on their summer vacation. This was the Lisle coach's first full week with the team.
"I know his situation, and I'm just glad to see him back on the sideline," Onsen said.
Ventrella said basically the same thing. He also liked it when Onsen's son, Cody, lofted a pass toward the left hash mark. The Lisle senior intercepted the ball at his own 13-yard line and sprinted down the left sideline for a 6-3 Lisle lead at 7:29 of the third quarter.
"We've been watching a lot of film," said Ventrella, who added 41 yards rushing. "(Cody Onsen) is going down the seam the whole time, and I just read his eyes, really."
Onsen got revenge. He put Coal City up to stay with a 51-yard touchdown pass to Matt Halloran.
Lisle's defense, led by Pat Heatherly, Terrance Allen, Drew Martin, Levi Smith and Ventrella, was out there a long time. With 3:08 left to play, Coal City's Billy McMillan finally took advantage of a short field on his 34-yard touchdown run. On Lisle's next play McMillan scored on a 29-yard interception return, his second pick of the night.
"We've been working hard all season," said disappointed linebacker Heatherly. "In the off-season we put in a lot of work. It's just hard coming here and losing."