Fenwick starting senior defensive lineman Luke Leone left the Class 6A football state semifinal football game at Nazareth Academy Saturday injured with 5:55 left. He returned the next series.
“I just had to get back out there,” Leone said.
With the game on the line, Leone was in the thick of the run-stopping play that prevented a two-point conversion and gave the Friars an exhilarating 28-27 overtime victory over the three-time defending 5A state champions in LaGrange Park.
Nazareth, which had the ball last in overtime, went for the two-point conversion. The Friars stopped a delayed handoff to Charles Calhoun, who rushed the three previous plays and scored from the 1.
“I was just driving for my life. I didn’t want them to get the [two] points. I had to do anything,” Leone said. “The whole team just played amazing the entire four quarters. I can’t tell right now [how injured I am]. Too much adrenaline.”
Leone was among several Riverside residents who helped Fenwick (10-3) advance to the 6A state championship game against East St. Louis (10-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Illinois State University in Normal. That list includes fellow senior starters Connor Wahl at center and Will Tomczak at receiver, senior varsity regulars Odin Ferjak, Topher Polston and Diego Robles and freshman Jack Rooney.
“The greatest feeling I’ve ever had in my life – so far. It’s electric. It’s great,” Tomczak said.
“It’s unbelievable,” Wahl added. “We played our hearts out all four quarters and overtime. I feel like we absolutely deserved it.”
The Friars trailed 21-14 in the fourth quarter but an interception at the Fenwick 27 started a 7-play scoring drive. All-state quarterback Jamen Williams ran in from the 4 and all-stater kicker Noah Sur added the extra point for a 21-21 tie with 1:13 left.
“We knew [a comeback] was going to happen,” Wahl said. “Everyone’s telling us it was do or die and we came through. I had no doubt. I had full faith in our defense.”
Tomczak made a key downfield block that helped Jake Thies complete a 32-yard pass play to the 6 on second-and-11.
“We persevere. We fight and we do that stuff,” Tomczak said. “We win like that. It’s all about grinding it out and doing our jobs.”
Nazareth then drove from its 20 to the Fenwick 23 and appeared to have won on Billy Harding’s 38-yard field goal with five seconds left. However, the whistle already had blown for an offsides penalty on Fenwick. Now from 33 yards out, Harding’s second attempt was unsuccessful and Fenwick ran out the regulation clock.
The Friars went first in overtime and scored on an 11-yard pass from Williams to all-stater Jake Thies. Sur kicked the extra point.
Fenwick also stepped up late in the first half and scored just 31 seconds before halftime for a 14-14 tie. Nazareth’s opening drive was stopped by the Friars recovering a fumble at the 2.
Right after the 14-14 tie, Robles recorded a solo tackle on the ensuing kickoff.
“I got the tackle in the corner and I was so fired up. I was like, ‘That’s me. That’s all me,’” Robles said.