A championship showcase filled with thrills

Prospect was down 14 points and senior star Peter Bonahoom was out except for two punts and an onside kick.

So the Knights were basically done in Friday night's Mid-Suburban East showdown before a full house at Elk Grove, right?

Wrong.

With 3:24 to play, it was the Knights holding a 14-point lead and on the way toward a division title, right?

Wrong.

As time expired in regulation Nick Meyer barely lunged over the goal line for the fifth of his six rushing touchdowns for Elk Grove.

Nothing wrong with a little overtime to showcase everything that was right about a fantastic night of high school football.

Drama. Suspense. Incredible plays. Amazing performances. All of it wrapped up in a thrill ride that lasted more than three hours and saw Prospect pull out an unforgettable 42-41 victory.

"It was an incredible atmosphere and it was crazy to begin with," said Prospect senior receiver Sam Frasco, who made two tremendous grabs for touchdowns at the end of the half and in overtime. "We knew we had to come out and go all out because Elk Grove is a great team.

"Their quarterback Meyer is great."

That's why it was silly to count out the Grens even though time wasn't on their side when they trailed 35-21. Meyer orchestrated a 64-yard drive in 62 seconds with precision passing to Joey Bishoff, who had 9 catches and played linebacker on a bad knee, Eddie Stahl and Mike Wary.

"He's also a believer and a kid who is going to make it happen no matter what," said Prospect coach Brent Pearlman.

Meyer did it again when Elk Grove got the ball back at midfield with 1:20 left. A frenetic three-play sequence at the goal line in the final 27 seconds saw Meyer finally lunge across the goal line as time expired.

But Prospect still had overtime.

"We knew right after that we had to give it to them and we couldn't stop," Frasco said.

Not after getting this far on the inspiring play of Grant DePalma on both sides of the ball and Steve Dazzo bouncing back from a pair of early interceptions. Dazzo's eighth straight completion was corralled by a diving Frasco in the end zone.

Not bad since Bonahoom spent most of the night on the sideline cheering his teammates after Pearlman wasn't fully sold on how he looked.

"People have referred to us as a one-man team at times and tonight we had to prove them wrong," Pearlman said.

But Elk Grove still had a shot as the electrifying Meyer wove his way into the end zone from 9 yards. Now it was time to go for the win.

Meyer looked around for what seemed to be an eternity trying to find someone in the end zone. He spotted Stahl. But the pass fell incomplete.

And suddenly and stunningly, the drama was complete.

"We took a chance - but the ball didn't bounce our way this time," Meyer said. "It was a fun game to play in. You can't ask for anything better."

Except for the feeling Frasco and the Knights had as they left Elk Grove.

"It was a great all-around atmosphere here," Frasco said. "We're the conference champs but we still have more to do. This isn't the end."

Just an end to an amazing night.

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com