Pisciotti, Lyons rally from 20-point deficit to stun Downers Grove North in showdown of unbeatens
Entering Friday’s West Suburban Silver showdown having not turned the ball over all season, Lyons proceeded to give the ball away five times in just over two quarters.
But senior quarterback Dom Pisciotti and his Lions teammates dug deep and pulled out a miraculous 21-20 come-from-behind road win over Downers Grove North in a matchup of unbeatens.
Pisciotti connected with Mack Long for three second half touchdowns, the last one the game-winner from 10 yards out with 2:37 remaining.
”This means everything,” said Pisciotti, who threw interceptions on four consecutive possessions in the first half. “This senior class, we’ve been playing together since the third grade. And we’ve been playing those guys for years. It’s a really fun win.
”You know, you expect your mind to go a million different places. You want to be mad and angry but you have to trust your teammates and also trust yourself. No matter if it’s good or bad, you definitely have to stay at the same level. And you could feel the energy change for sure (after the first TD), it made us believe that we had a better shot.”
Long’s first TD, a 64-yarder down the left sideline in which he beat his defender on a go-route, came immediately after Jake Gregorio had given the Trojans (6-1, 4-1) a 20-0 lead on a 72-yard run early in the third quarter.
The senior wideout then hauled in a 15-yard score with 9:13 left in the fourth quarter; he finished with five catches for 111 yards while also ending the home team’s final possession with an interception.
”At halftime, nobody had their heads down,” said Long, who also scored three touchdowns last week against Oak Park. “We all knew we could come back and win the game. We just kept pushing and pushing.
”I think a lot of it was reading their defense and figuring out the matchups. Just figuring out what spots we needed to get our guys to win. It all came together, that’s a huge win.”
Danny Carroll played a pivotal role in the comeback, rushing for 104 yards on 21 attempts while catching six balls for 72 yards. Defensively, Travis Stamm had an interception while Pat Cheney and Brady Rusk contributed sacks for Lyons (7-0, 5-0).
Cheney’s sack knocked DGN quarterback and Minnesota-commit Owen Lansu from the game midway through the second quarter.
”That’s a great team and they are so well-coached,” said Lyons coach Jon Beutjer, whose team can clinch the outright conference title with a win over York next week. “[DGN] Coach [Joe] Horeni does a great job.
”We definitely didn’t have a great start with four turnovers in the first half. I’m proud of the grit and resilience in overcoming adversity. This is a special senior group and I’m proud of them for not giving up and playing hard. They continued to trust each other and the coaches.”
Gregorio scored a pair of TDs on the ground, adding a 38-yard run to the end zone on the subsequent play after Lansu went out to break a scoreless tie. He totaled 137 yards on 11 carries. Aiden Solecki contributed an interception for Downers Grove North and two-yard return for a touchdown on an attempted screen pass.
Ethan Kist also picked off a pair of passes, Charlie Cruse notched one and Joe LaSota recovered a fumble.Nick Konopiots completed 2-of-3 passes for 45 yards in relief of Lansu, who finished 8-of-12 through the air for 38 yards.
”That was a great football game,” Horeni said. “That was a great effort by Lyons, to fight back and win the game.
”I thought our defense did an unbelievable job. We played a lot of guys both ways and I’m proud of the way they fought. The West Suburban Silver is the real deal. I’m happy for LT and we just have to get back to work and get healthy; we obviously had some key injuries.”