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the New Lenox Patriot | September 15, 2016 | 45
Football
Lockport nips 16-14 to hand Lincoln-Way Central’s first loss
Randy Whalen
Freelance Reporter
There was a feeling in the
air when Lockport Township
traveled to face Lincoln-Way
Central in the opening South-
West Suburban Conference
football game of season for
both teams.
No, it wasn’t the rain -
which had come earlier in
the day, but mostly stayed
away during the game. It
was a feeling of excitement
as both teams came in undefeated.
But in the end it was
Lockport which forced key
turnovers and came away
with a 16-14 victory over the
Knights on Friday, Sept. 9 in
New Lenox.
Tavares Moore (33 carries
for 175 yards) scored the
go-ahead touchdown in the
third quarter and the junior
was even better than he was
the previous week (34 carries
for 169 yards) in Lockport’s
thrilling 17-15 win over
South Elgin.
With the victory the Porters
(3-0, 1-0) won their first
three games for the first time
since 2009. Central (2-1, 0-1)
last won its first two games
in 2009 and started 4-0 the
year before that. It was the
first meeting between the two
teams since a 21-0 Knights
victory in 2012 and first meeting
in New Lenox since a 37-
10 Lockport win in 2011.
“We’re got a lot of great
kids and our senior leadership
has been great,” said
Lockport coach Dan Starkey.
“The offensive line is getting
better and the passing game
will be there. It wasn’t perfect,
but it was huge to win.”
Neither team was perfect,
as each turned the ball over
three times. But the key turnover
happened at the end of
the third quarter. Spurred by
a 40-yard pass from senior
quarterback Hunter Campbell
(8-of-17 for 100 yards,
2 interceptions) to junior running
back Mike Morgan on a
3rd-and-6 play, the Knights
reached the Lockport 12.
But on 2nd-and-1 from
there, senior running back
Mitch Hosman fumbled the
ball and senior defensive
back Eric Jungheim scooped
it up and returned it 25-yards
with 30.6 seconds left in the
third quarter for the Porters.
“Nick Dado forced it,”
Jungheim said of the the
senior linebacker forcing
the fumble. “I saw it rolling
and just picked it up. That
just turned the whole game
around. It gave the ball back
to the offense and that secured
the win for us.”
It did, but indirectly. Lockport
was forced to punt from
near midfield on the ensuing
possession. But Ben Davis’
kick was downed at the Central
6. On 4th-and-2 from the
12, senior Devin Smith went
back to punt. But as he moved
to his right to get a better angle
on the kick, Smith instead
found Porter defenders - including
senior defensive back
Dylan Hagan, who tackled
him for a 3-yard loss.
“No, that wasn’t a fake
punt,” Central coach Jeremy
Cordell said of the play. “But
we just can’t make those
[turnover] mistakes. We can’t
turn the ball over in the red
zone.”
The Central defense held
the Porters out of the end
zone, but Davis kicked a 24-
yard field goal with 6:19 to
play to give Lockport a 16-7
lead. It was the third field
goal of the game for the senior.
“Special teams was a huge
part of this game,” Starkey
said. “To go up by nine
on that third field goal was
huge.”
Especially when the
Knights put together a nineplay,
71-yard drive which
was capped on a 6-yard
touchdown pass from Campbell
to Smith in the left corner
of the end zone. Junior
Dimitri Sereleas added the
extra point and Central was
within two points at 16-14
with 3:35 left in the game.
The key play in the drive was
a 32-yard flea-flicker pass
from Zack Stoklosa to fellow
junior Matt Pollack down to
the Lockport 39.
But behind the running
of Moore, who carried five
straight times for 27-yards,
the Porters were able to run
out the clock and secure a
second straight 2-point win.
“Our defense played well,”
Starkey said. “We gave up a
touchdown drive at the end,
which we weren’t happy
with, but our offense ran out
the clock. Getting those first
downs was huge. Also credit
to [junior fullback] Austin
Hoffman, who we call our
superback. Our offensive line
was great and Tavares was
the beneficiary of that.”
Central got on the board
first when Hosman (9 carries
for 81 yards) broke free down
the right side and galloped in
from 65-yards out on the last
play of the first quarter to
take a 7-0 lead.
The Porters capped a 10-
play drive with a 27-yard
field goal by Davis with 3:20
left in the first half. Junior defensive
back Zach Reese then
intercepted Campbell, giving
the ball to Lockport at its own
41 with 53.8 seconds left in
the half.
A 22-yard run by Davis,
down to the 22, helped set up
his own field goal. This one
from 39-yards out, to end the
half and draw the Porters to
within 7-6 at intermission.
Davis (6-of-15 for 40
yards, 3 interceptions) didn’t
have the best day passing. but
he made up for it by kicking
the three field goals and none
of his three interceptions led
to points.
Lincoln-Way Central running back MItch Hosman runs the ball Friday, Sept. 9 during a
home matchup against Lockport. Photos by Jason Maholy/22nd Century Media
But unfortunately for the
Knights, both of Campbell’s
did. His second one, a pick
by Jungheim just 1:21 into
the second half, gave Lockport
the ball at the Central 48.
Four plays later the Porters
faced 4th-and-2 at the 26, but
Moore gained six yards for a
first down.
Another 4th-and-2 followed,
this one from the 12.
Once again, Lockport went
for it and Moore motored,
nearly untouched, up the
middle for a 12-yard TD run
to cap the 9-play drive and
give the Porters a 13-7 lead.
“First off it shows the
confidence the coaches have
in me to give me the ball,”
Moore said of getting the call
on the key fourth down situations.
“On [the second one] I
just saw touchdown.”
It continues the odyssey
for Moore, who had a few
carries for minus-1 in the
season opening win 20-9 win
at Downers Grove North. But
he has substituted for senior
John Snidanko, who is still
out with an injury, and gained
over 400 yards from scrimmage
[including passing
yards] the past 2 weeks.
Central’s Trey Lyons catches the ball in midair against
Lockport.
“I thought I was going to
be a backup the entire season,”
Moore admitted. “But
I’m just stepping up and doing
my job. I’m thankful for
the opportunity and the offensive
line has been great.
We just want to keep winning
and make the playoffs.”
Both teams still have playoff
aspirations and Cordell
wants the Knights to remain
positive and correct their
mistakes.
“I was proud of the kids on
the last drive to come back and
score,” he said of the final TD
march. “But it comes down
to opportunities and we have
to take advantage of ours. We
win and lose as a team and we
are looking at the opportunity
to be 1-0 [this] week [7:30
p.m. Friday, Sept. 16 at home
against Thornwood]. We will
be fine.”
Peyton Nigro had a pair of
interceptions and fellow junior
linebacker Nick Degregorio
added one for Central.
But Jungheim had the key
pick for the Porters to start
the third quarter.
“We knew what we wanted
and we got it,” Jungheim
said. “We wanted to be 3-0
and this is huge. We have
a team that wants the same
thing together and we’re just
playing with fire.”