Wheaton North defeats Naperville Central on final play
Johnny Daniels couldn't say which foot hit the pylon.
Naperville Central couldn't believe he landed inbounds.
No disputing it was one fantastic finish.
A leaping Daniels caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Wheaton North quarterback Reece Butler on the game's final play one foot brushing the front pylon of the end zone giving the Falcons a dramatic 23-21 win in Naperville.
“We've been practicing all summer that if Reece scrambles to make a play just get open, Daniels said. “He threw it up and I went and got it. One foot hit the pylon. It didn't touch the ground.
It was a fitting end to a wild final 61 seconds that saw the lead change hands three times on touchdowns.
With Wheaton North (5-2, 3-2 DuPage Valley Conference) trailing 14-9 and facing third-and-goal, Butler scrambled back across the left side of the field for an 8-yard touchdown, then ran in the 2-point conversion.
Naperville Central (3-4, 2-3) answered in stunning fashion, as Tyler Bell returned the kickoff 99 yards down the right sideline for a 21-17 Redhawks lead with 48 seconds left.
But Wheaton North's John Bloss took back the ensuing kickoff to the Naperville Central 36, setting up the final Falcons drive. Butler kept it alive by hitting Shaniel Katariwala for a 10-yard gain on fourth-and-3.
After two incompletions and a timeout Butler scrambled and found a leaping Daniels in midair in the right front corner of the end zone with a defender draped on his back in perfect coverage. After a split second of uncertainty, a touchdown was signaled, setting off a mad Falcons celebration.
“I threw it up to Johnny and Johnny just made a great play, Butler said. “There's not much else to say. He just made a spectacular play. It looked like it got the pylon just a great job on his part.
It was a heartbreaking loss for Naperville Central, which now must beat West Chicago and win at Glenbard North to qualify for the playoffs.
“To be honest with you, I couldn't really tell (if it was inbounds), Naperville Central's Hayden Daniels said. “It was a toss-up. I'm not going to blame that call on the ref. It definitely could have been a catch. Coach (Mike) Stine said we had 48 minutes to make a play and we can't complain about it after the 48 minutes are up. That was a heck of a catch by that kid. Ross (Murphy) made a great play on the ball, but that was a perfect pass and a perfect catch. Not much we could do about that.
Butler completed 14 of 26 passes for 109 yards but was intercepted twice. Wheaton North didn't cross midfield in the second half until the Falcons' final two touchdown drives. Wheaton North led 9-7 at halftime, Marcin Gawlak booting a 21-field goal in the last minute of the second quarter.
“Unfortunately, we didn't get things going early on, Butler said, “but you'd rather come on late than not come on at all. All night the O-line did a good job, and finally me and other guys started making plays.
Matt Randolph ran for 95 yards on 25 carries for Naperville Central. Daniels ran in a touchdown and completed 6 of 14 passes for 62 yards, his 4-yard scoring strike to Derrick Avers with 8:29 left in the fourth quarter giving the Redhawks a 14-9 lead.
“Both teams battled hard down to the very end, Daniels said. “We made a play at the end, but they made one at the very last second. We played our hearts out; we just came up short.