Stillman Valley wins Class 3A title in OT
DEKALB — With an Illinois state title on the line, Stillman Valley’s Zac Hare certainly didn’t let a bothersome right ankle and cramps in his left leg slow him down.
The 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior fullback ran for 254 yards and four touchdowns, the last coming in overtime — topped off by his two-point conversion — in helping lift Stillman Valley to a 43-41 win over St. Joseph-Ogden in Friday’s Illinois Class 3A championship game.
After Hare put the Cardinals (12-2) ahead 43-35, the Spartans (11-3) responded with Connor Janes’ 5-yard touchdown run. But the Spartans’ bid to extend the game ended when Stillman Valley’s Logan Alberts and Eddie Torrance sacked quarterback Dalton Walsh on the two-point conversion attempt.
After it was done, Hare insisted brawn was the difference.
“It all comes down to who can push more, and I think this offensive line all year long has been incredible just being able to steamroll people, put them on their backs,” he said.
Walsh threw for 259 yards on 24-of-35 passing and had three touchdowns, including the go-ahead, 22-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Hart with less than six minutes left in regulation.
But Hare later powered into the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 1 with 1:19 left, tying the score at 35 and forcing overtime.
“We’re not a very big team in physical size, and we just had trouble stopping the running game — the big fullback (Hare),” Spartans coach Dick Duval said after his fourth state runner-up finish. “What they do is not real complicated, but they do it extremely well. They just pound on you the whole game. We kind of wore down there and then couldn’t stop them when we needed to.”
St. Joseph-Ogden opened the scoring on its first possession when Walsh found running back Connor Janes for a 5-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead. But Stillman Valley scored on its next two drives — an 8-yard touchdown run by Micah Castronovo, then a 3-yard run by Hare.
With a second and goal at the 1-yard line, junior running back Orion Ciota powered in to give the Spartans a 20-14 lead with 8:01 left in the third, capping a 12-play, 73-yard drive. But the extra point attempt failed.
But back came the Cardinals, retaking the lead at 21-20 on an 8-yard run by Hare.
Janes’ 4-yard touchdown and a catch for the two-point conversion allowed the Spartans to go ahead 28-21.
St. Joseph-Ogden had a chance to force a turnover on downs with the Cardinals facing fourth and goal at the 3-yard line. But Alberts eluded a defender on a sweep play and sneaked into the end zone and tie the game at 28 with 8:20 left.
“I think this state championship game is what you dream it to be,” Stillman Valley coach Michael Lalor said. “For the casual fan or people that are playing it, for it to come down literally to the last play what an incredible game.”