Bartlett beats Glenbard East for fifth win

Friday night's football game in Lombard was winner-take-all, so Bartlett did.

Both the Hawks and Glenbard East entered the regular-season finale with matching 4-4 records, but Bartlett led from start to finish. The finish was 42-27, giving the visitors reason to watch Saturday night's playoff announcement. The Rams ended their season.

"The past few years we haven't made the playoffs, so this year, it's a great feeling to bring the program back," Bartlett junior running back Ben Johnson said.

Bartlett (5-4, 4-1 Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division) got off to a great start, taking a three-touchdown lead on Johnson's 33-yard run, his 17-yard pass from quarterback Brenner Wallace and tailback Nolan Bernat's 64-yard run on the second play of the second quarter.

"Every week we were getting better and better. This is our peak performance tonight," Johnson said.

Johnson scored his third touchdown in the third quarter on a 47-yard pass from Wallace.

"Johnson's a kid that, he's a tight end but we saw him running ...," Hawks coach Tom Meaney said. "He's a heck of a ball carrier. For a big kid he's pretty elusive when he's in the open field. It's nice to see that when you work hard it pays off."

The Rams (4-5, 2-3) fought to within 28-21 with 3:43 left in the third quarter on Phil Abruzino's 14-yard pass to senior Karon Keyes, but 4 second-half turnovers sealed the Rams' fate.

I don't know if we earned it," Rams coach John Walters said of that elusive fifth win. "We turned the ball over too many times, made too many mistakes. We got five losses this year, all to good football teams. We turned the ball over. Something happened in all those games, whether it was a blocked punt, whatever the case may be. We didn't make enough plays to get to wherever we needed to go."

Johnson's third TD was followed two plays later by Cameron Mays' first of 2 interceptions. This one he returned 47 yards for a touchdown and a 42-21 lead that the Rams couldn't overcome.

"I was getting scared on the sideline watching the defense, but after the pick-6, we had a couple of other plays on offense, it's a great feeling," Johnson said.

"We just didn't do the things we needed to win. You're not going to win many games when there's (42) points on the board," Walters said.

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