Title a nice catch for Prospect
Prospect jumped out to a 21-point lead in its battle for Mid Suburban East supremacy with visiting Wheeling.
But the Wildcats pulled to within 10 points with 4:52 remaining in the third quarter.
The Knights seemed to be wobbling, and sophomore receiver Peter Bonahoom was definitely wobbling after receiving a blow from Wheeling's Michael Barton on the ensuing possession.
Prospect and Bonahoom may have wobbled but they didn't fall and four plays later the sophomore caught a 36-yard touchdown pass.
Prospect (6-2, 4-0) and its high-octane offense proceeded to roll to a 45-28 MSL East victory over Wheeling at George Gattas Stadium.
The victory assures Prospect of at least share of the East title and a win at Elk Grove will give the Knights its fifth outright crown since 2001.
"We've been hit hard with adversity this year," said Bonahoom, who caught 5 passes for 160 yards. "That pretty much has been a metaphor for the team, bouncing back and making the plays."
And junior quarterback Miles Osei made plenty of them. Osei completed 16-of-26 passes for 332 yards with 4 touchdowns, the junior also rushed for 123 yards on 27 carries with 2 touchdowns.
"He's the catalyst for our offense," said Prospect coach Brent Pearlman of Osei. "But he has some guys helping him out, that was as good as I've seen Prospect receivers play in a long time. They made some great catches."
Bonahoom was joined by Mike Przespolewski (7 catches, 87 yards) and Austin Sobey ( 3 catches, 68 yards) in leading the Knights receivers.
"Trying to make plays down field," said Przespolewski, who had scores of 12 and 24 yards. "We trust Miles and he's so athletic, he scrambles and we get open."
Osei scored on 8- and 10-yard runs and threw an 8-yard scoring toss to Sobey giving the Knights a 21-0 advantage with 5:56 remaining in the first half.
But Wheeling (5-3, 3-1) didn't back down as quarterback Matt Holmes (9-for-21, 175 yards) connected with James Kurtz (5 catches, 170 yards) on pair of touchdowns of 65 and 41 yards in the final 3:28 of the first half to cut its deficit to 24-14.
"Our guys fought the whole time," said Wheeling coach Dave Dunbar. "Down 21 points it's tough to dig yourself out of that hole. You've always got a chance."
Weston Ross caught a 23-yard touchdown pass and added a 4-yard scoring run for the Wildcats in the second half. But the Knights could not be derailed.
"You just want kids to compete whether it's for a division title or in the playoffs," said Pearlman. "I'm really happy with the way the kids competed."