NL_110719

newlenoxpatriotdaily.com sports
the new lenox patriot | November 7, 2019 | 43
Football
4
Heartbreaker: LW West loses on final play
SEAN HASTINGS, Editor
It was as if time stood
still as Phillips quarterback
Antonio Brown’s pass to
Ronald Pledger in the back
of the end zone floated
through the air as the horn
— the only sound in the
stadium — rang throughout
Gately Stadium signaling
the end of the game.
Pledger came down
with the pass for a 22-yard
touchdown on the final
play of the game, stunning
Lincoln-Way West and
lifting Phillips to a 30-24
win in a Class 7A firstround
game on Saturday,
Nov. 2.
The Phillips fans, coaches
and players erupted,
while West’s fans, coaches
and players stood still and
silent.
The Warriors (5-5) were
left in disbelief that the
game they stormed back
to tie after being down two
touchdowns in the fourth
quarter, did not end in their
favor.
“We had so many ups
and downs, wins and
losses, but it brought us together
a lot,” West senior
Billy Dozier said. “I just
LW WEST VS. PHILLIPS, NOV. 2
1 2 3 4 F
LW West 0 3 7 14 24
Phillips 8 8 8 6 30
Three Stars of the Game:
1. Ronald Pledger, Phillips, senior receiver --- Game-winning
22-yard touchdown catch on final play
2. Billy Dozier, LW West, senior receiver/running back --- Two
touchdown runs
3. Quentin Villa, LW West, sophomore tight end --- 5-yard
touchdown catch
didn’t expect it to end this
soon and be the last week.”
West scored six seconds
into the fourth quarter
on sophomore tight end
Quentin Villa’s 5-yard
touchdown catch on a
play-action pass from
Evan Wydajewski.
Then with 9:31 left in
the game, Dozier broke off
a 56-yard touchdown run
to tie the game 24-24.
Dozier also had a 1-yard
touchdown run in the third
quarter on a drive that was
kept alive after a Phillips
player committed an unsportsmanlike
penalty on
a play that should have resulted
in fourth down.
West’s other score was a
35-yard field goal from senior
kicker Damian Chowaniec.
Dozier took snaps at
running back and wide receiver
after the Warriors
lost starting running back
Caleb Marconi to injury in
Week 8, another obstacle
for the Warriors to deal
with in a turbulent season.
West played with a new
life in the second half and
that was in part due to the
vocal leadership of Griffin
Ketelaar, senior linebacker
and captain.
“I got a little riled up at
halftime with screaming
and stuff,” Ketelaar said.
“But I think everyone got
the message.”
Phillips’ first score came
on a 77-yard touchdown
pass that got tipped by
the intended receiver and
caught by another just a
few yards further up the
field.
A play like that can be
called lucky, but it counts
nonetheless and West had
to claw its way back from
it.
Ketelaar was proud of
how the younger players
responded in the second
half.
“They were into it just
as much as we were knowing
that they have two
more years and they were
unselfish,” he said. “But
we weren’t able to pull
through in the end, but the
effort was there for sure.”
One of those younger
players is sophomore defensive
back Justin Harris,
who was in on the coverage
on the final play, making
a great effort to bat the
ball down.
Harris also had an interception
in the end zone
earlier in the game, giving
West fans just a glimpse of
what the secondary looks
like for the next two years.
Ernst has always been
impressed by Harris.
“Justin will bounce
Phillips’ Ronald Pledger comes down with the gamewinning
22-yard touchdown catch, despite tight
defense from Lincoln-Way West’s Justin Harris, on the
final play of the game as Phillips beat the Warriors 30-
24 on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Gately Stadium in Chicago.
Chip DeLorenzo/22nd Century Media
back,” Ernst said. “He’s
a competitor. He doesn’t
care if you’re playing
checkers, he’s going to
try and beat you. He’ll be
back.”
Ernst added that part of
Harris’ growth will come
from looking up to Ketelaar
and senior defensive
lineman Matt Nevin and
seeing how they approach
the game.
Ketelaar said he will be
back for games next year
to see how much the secondary
grows into being
juniors.
After the game, Ketelaar
told his fellow defenders
that they’re all going to be
all-stars next year.
Ketelaar and Dozier
are two players who felt
the heartbreak after last
year’s second-round loss
to Simeon, but knew they
had another year to make
a run. But like Dozier said,
it went by much faster than
he thought. Now he is in the
position his senior teammates
were in last year.
“Just cherish the time
you have here and don’t
take anything for granted,”
Dozier said. “It can end really
fast.”
Our staff’s predictions for the top games in Week 2 of the playoffs
Just two teams left from the land of 22nd
Century Media. So, both of them will be featured
as our Games of the Week. What a great time
of the year!
53-11
51-13
Tom Czaja |
Senior Editor
51-13
46-18
Sean Hastings |
Contributing Editor
47-17
44-20
GameS of the Week
• Niles Notre Dame (8-2) at LW East (10-0)
• Crete-Monee (10-0) at Providence (7-3)
Jeff Vorva |
Sports Editor
• LWE 40, Notre Dame 17. On paper,
this sounds like a pretty good game.
On the field, it may not be so pretty.
• Crete-Monee 36, Providence 29. This
has the makings of a shootout but
the Warriors will squeak it out.
• LWE 34, Notre Dame 10. Griffins
steamroll another opponent.
• Providence 21, Crete-Monee
20. Celtics pull off the upset at
home to knock off the previously
undefeated Warriors.
Steve Millar |
Sports Editor
• LWE 31, Notre Dame 10. Despite
some key injuries, the Griffins are
still too deep, too determined and
too good for the Dons.
• Crete-Monee 26, Providence 24.
The Celtics will be Crete-Monee’s
first real test all year, but the Warriors
have experience pulling off
close playoff wins from last year’s
run to the 6A title game.
• LWE 31, Notre Dame 17. Offense
keeps rolling and Griffins stay
undefeated.
• Providence 17, Crete-Monee 14.
Celtics end Crete’s undefeated
season with upset, but comes down
to the wire.
Joe Coughlin |
Publisher
• LWE 24, Notre Dame 10. Great
matchup. Notre Dame is rock solid
but Griffins are special and hold the
Dons down.
• Providence 38, Crete-Monee 35.
Barnburner here but Celtics ride
high from upset win in the first
round and hold on at home.
Heather Warthen |
Chief Marketing Officer
• LWE 21, Notre Dame 14. Home
field advantage helps Griffins
secure playoff win.
• Providence 14, Crete-Monee 13. It
will be a close call for the Celtics,
but they will stay alive another
week.