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46 | September 28, 2017 | The Lockport Legend SPORTS lockportlegend.com Porters dig deep, take home title at PepsiCo Showdown Steve Millar Freelance Reporter With five minutes left in the PepsiCo Showdown Michele Bingham Memorial Bracket championship game against Bulls Prep, things didn’t look good for Lockport. The Porters were down a goal, down a man and exhausted from playing in 90-degree heat Sunday, Sept. 24. Still, Lockport wasn’t finished. “We were all tired, but we kept our heads up and we kept fighting until the last minute,” junior midfielder Jose Mendoza said. “It all came down to motivation. We lost in the championship last year, and we knew this year was all or nothing.” Mendoza scored the tying goal with 4:05 left to force a penalty-kick shootout. Lockport won that 4-1 to claim a 4-3 victory at Triton College in River Grove. “We got the result we were looking for,” Mendoza said. “It’s a good day.” Lockport (6-2-4) played a man down for the final 43 minutes, 15 seconds of regulation after a red card was issued late in the first half. The Porters fought hard to keep the game tied 2-2, but Bulls Prep (8-1) got the goahead goal from Leo Carreon with 7:34 to go. Improbably, Lockport found an answer. Junior midfielder Nick Kowalczyk made a tremendous play, beating three defenders with his dribble before dishing to Mendoza, who was wide open in front of the net and finished to make it 3-3. “It felt like it took an eternity for the ball to come across to Jose, and was I like, ‘Please don’t put it over the bar,’” Lockport coach Chris Dominic Wistocki (middle) and Dominik Matoniak (right) hug in celebration after winning the PepsiCo championship during a shootout. Beal said. “That showed composure in a big situation to put it in.” Mendoza’s heroics sent the game into penalty kicks. Lockport’s first three shooters — Zac Fox, Kowalczyk and Carlos Padilla — all converted. Meanwhile, Porters goalkeeper Dominic Wistocki denied two of Bulls Prep’s first three attempts. Wistocki knocked down a shot by Jesus Ochoa in the first round of the shootout, then dove to his right to deny Gerardo Romero in the third round. “I got that first save, and that’s really the key one,” Wistocki said. “When you can stop the first shooter, there’s an intimidation factor and you know it’s going to put a team down. “We lost in the championship game of this tournament last year, and in the semifinals two years ago. The third time was the charm.” Wistocki’s saves set the stage for junior defender Justin Biela to clinch the championship with the oddest goal he’s ever scored. Biela, Lockport’s fourth shooter in the shootout, fired a shot that was deflected by Bulls Prep goalkeeper Mauro Cazalez, hit the crossbar and came down to the turf outside of the net. However, the ball bounced backward off the turf and trickled over the goal line, setting off a raucous Lockport celebration. “When I first shot it, I thought I had missed,” Biela said. “I saw that it had some backspin on it, though. I saw it hit the turf then bounce back toward the net, and the ref raised his flag and called it a goal, and I just couldn’t believe it. “It was like a scene out of a movie.” It’s the first PepsiCo Showdown title for Lockport. “We’re going to go down in history, and it’s awesome,” Biela said. Wistocki made eight saves in regulation, extending the game by leaping to knock Victor Trujillo’s shot over the crossbar with just 25 seconds to go. “It was all adrenaline,” Wistocki said. “That’s what we do in goalie training. We work our butts off until we get tired, and then work our butts even more, so that when there’s 30 seconds left in the game and we’re tired, we can make that save.” Junior Eric Keta tries to gain control of the ball Sunday, Sept. 24, during the PepsiCo Showdown Michele Bingham Memorial Bracket championship game against Bulls Prep at Triton College in River Grove. Photos by Geoff Stellfox/22nd Century Media Nick Kowalczyk moves the ball down the pitch. The Porters started fast, as Mendoza gave them the lead in the 12th minute. Just 67 seconds later, Kowalczyk carried the ball 80 yards down the left side of the field before beating Cazalez to make it 2-0. “We knew what was at stake, and we came out fast,” Mendoza said. “We got one, then we got another one quickly.” Any thoughts that it would be an easy win for Lockport were quickly dashed, however. Four minutes after Kowalczyk’s goal, Angelo Oquendo got Bulls Prep on the board. With 10:31 left in the first half, Trujillo tied it. Then, Lockport’s Charlie Garcia was given a red card for a hard foul with 3:15 left in the half, putting the Porters a man down. In the end, all of that just made for a better story for Lockport to tell. “This was incredible,” Beal said. “We said before the game that games like this come down to who has more heart, who has the desire and the will to get it done. “At halftime, I said things like this should galvanize you. Adversity has hit, and the only way to deal with it is to stand up to it and fight with everything you’ve got. That’s exactly what we did. Our guys showed incredible character.”
lockportlegend.com SPORTS the Lockport Legend | September 28, 2017 | 47 fastbreak 1st and 3 Mark Korosa/22nd Century Media Lockport football comes up short against Andrew 1. A disappointing loss The Porters fell to Andrew by a final of 17-14 on Friday, Sept. 22, at Lockport in its homecoming game. The loss was the fourth in a row for the team, which is now 1-4 overall. 2. Do-it-all Thunderbolt Cole Griffin was all over the field for Andrew against the Porters, rushing the ball 31 times for 170 yards, playing cornerback on defense and punting on special teams. 3. Staying competitive Porters quarterback Jacob Karli found wideout Austin Hoffman for a touchdown shortly before halftime to cut the lead to 14-7, and LTHS running back Tavares Moore scored on a 9-yard run in the fourth quarter to trim the deficit to 17-14. Girls Golf Young Porters finish regular season with winning record Randy Whalen Freelance Reporter The Lockport Township girls golf team knew there would be some learning experiences this season. But there was also a lot of fun. That showed last week as the Porters posted a pair of victories to end their dual meet schedule. The most recent one of those was a 190-234 win over Bolingbrook on Sept. 20 in a South- West Suburban Conference matchup at Broken Arrow Golf Course in Lockport. That left Lockport (8- 7, 5-4) with a winning record both overall and in the SWSC. The Porters defeated host Oak Forest 192-206 in a nonconference meet the day before at George Dunn Golf Course in Oak Forest. “It was a good way to end the [dual meet] season,” said Kyle Yaeger, first year Lockport coach. “We had a good week of matches and that will give us a little confidence boost going into [the PRESSBOX PICKS Our staff’s predictions for the top games in Week 6 Lincoln-Way East (5-0) at Homewood-Flossmoor (5-0) Tinley Park (2-3) at T.F. South (3-2) Providence Catholic (3-2) at Chicago Hope Academy (4-1) Sandburg (2-3) at Lincoln-Way West (3-2) Lockport (1-4) at Bolingbrook (4-1) “The girls take it serious, but they’re able to quickly shut it off and that’s been good. I’ve had a blast coaching. It’s a great group of girls.” Kyle Yaeger — first year LTHS girls golf coach, on his team this season conference tournament].” The Porters closed the regular season this week on Wednesday, Sept. 27, by participating in the SouthWest Suburban Conference Blue Division meet at Green Garden Golf Course in Frankfort. As she has many times this season, sophomore Rachel Kuzel led Lockport with a 45 and earned medalist honors. Freshman Claire Ancevicius (46) was right behind while sophomore Megan Kohley (48) and junior Kearney Pluth (51) followed. “I’m not really satisfied,” Kuzel said of shooting her 45. “But I’ll be practicing. We still have a lot of practice before the postseason.” 18-7 Tom Czaja | Contributing Editor • H-F 31, LW East 28. Vikings won’t be intimidated by Griffins, beating them for a third straight year in front of a boisterous home crowd. • Tinley Park • Providence • LW West • Bolingbrook 17-8 Max Lapthorne | Contributing Editor • LW East 28, H-F 24. Griffins face a tough road test, but have enough talent to prevail in the battle of unbeatens. • T.F. South • Providence • LW West • Bolingbrook Ancevicius has stepped in as a freshman and contributed throughout the season. “It’s gone good, actually,” she said of the season. “My scores have gone down and I’ve been second on the varsity, so that’s very good. I’ve shot a 46 three of my last four times out [including against Bolingbrook] and the other time was a 47. I’ve learned that if I have a bad hole to rebound quickly and pick myself up again.” Bolingbrook (1-12, 0-9), which is coached by Homer Glen resident Chris Malinoski, got its first victory of the season the previous week on Sept. 14, with a 205-241 victory over visiting Romeoville at Boughton Ridge Golf Course in Bolingbrook. Against Lockport, the Raiders did have a nice performance by junior Jordyn Elliott, who shot a 46. The rest of their carded scores were senior Anaise Laforest (62), senior Joyce Tipe (63), and sophomore Jolene Schultz (63). In the meantime, the young Porters look to make a run in the regional. “We have no seniors on the team and a lot of times have a sophomore and a freshman lead us,” Yaeger said. “Claire [Ancevicius] has been very consistent lately. [Freshman] Katie Tomczuk is often one of our top scorers too. With 17-8 Tim Carroll | Sports Editor • LW East 27, H-F 20. I just cannot pick against the Griffins. They’re too good, and that defensive line limits the Vikings. • Tinley Park • Providence • LW West • Bolingbrook 16-9 Joe Coughlin | Publisher • LW East 45, H-F 35. Hard to stop Vikings, so Griffins just outscore them. • T.F. South • Providence • LW West • Bolingbrook these five together and talent coming in, the future looks bright.” Yaeger, a 2013 Lockport grad, got the job as head girls golf coach right before the season started. He graduated from St. Xavier University in the spring and found out in July that he was going to be the head girls golf coach at the high school he played for just five years ago. “Me, looking at it as a player, a lot always went into it,” he said of golf. “I took it serious and wasn’t always able to shut it off after a match or competition. The girls take it serious, but they’re able to quickly shut it off and that’s been good. I’ve had a blast coaching. It’s a great group of girls.” The Porters will be on their home course in the first round of the postseason. That’s the Class 2A Providence Regional, which will be held on Oct. 4 on the South East Course at Broken Arrow. 16-9 Heather Warthen | Chief Operating Officer • H-F 21, LW East 14. This is going to be a hard-fought battle, but the Vikings win at home. • Tinley Park • Chicago Hope Academy • LW West • Bolingbrook LISTEN UP “We battled all the way, and I’m proud of the kids for that.” Dan Starkey — Lockport football coach, on his team after the defeat to Andrew Tune In Football Time to regroup — 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, at Bolingbrook • The Porters hit the road, trying to get back in the win column after a rough patch. Index 42 - This Week In 42 - Athlete of the Week FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor Thomas Czaja, tom@homerhorizon.com.
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