51-yard field goal lifts Crystal Lake South

The Crystal Lake South student section serenaded senior Brad Walovitch with “Happy Birthday” in the second quarter Friday.

Those same fans will be singing the 18-year-old’s praises for years to come.

Walovitch, a safety and running back who also punts and kicks, missed a 52-yard field goal attempt with 3:08 left in a tied game against rival Cary-Grove. That ball was mishit and never had a chance.

Given a second opportunity with 6.1 seconds left in the game, the 5-foot-11, 185-pounder booted a 51-yarder that split the uprights and turned the CL South sideline into a mob scene.

Following a squib kickoff, the CL South defense stuffed Cary-Grove’s last-ditch reverse as time ran out, sealing the Gators’ 10-7 comeback victory in the opening game of Valley Division play for both state-ranked Fox Valley Conference teams at Al Bohrer Field in Cary.

“Best birthday present ever,” said a smiling Walovitch, who missed 3 field goals a week earlier in a win at Crystal Lake Central. “I’m just glad I could give this team a win. We came out here and played a tough game that came down to the wire. Coach (Chuck Ahsmann) let me kick it and I was just glad I could finally make one.”

Walovitch was originally set to attempt a 46-yard field goal, but Crystal Lake South (3-0, 1-0) was flagged for illegal procedure. The 5-yard penalty upped the degree of difficulty for Walovitch.

“Is that how long it was?” marveled Cary-Grove coach Brad Seaburg when informed the distance was 51 yards. “We were ready for overtime. The kid made a great kick. You have to give it to him. That was an outstanding kick.”

The game was a defensive battle between two fierce, fast units, which put a premium on field position and special-teams play throughout. Cary-Grove (2-1, 0-1) limited the Gators to 160 total yards, but CL South was even stingier.

Spearheaded by the relentless line play of senior Josh Beveridge, CL South held Cary-Grove’s option offense to 83 yards rushing and 93 yards overall. The Trojans managed only 5 first downs and were forced to punt on 9 of their 11 possessions, including all 5 second-half possessions.

“We had a hard time getting anything going,” Seaburg said. “Anytime we started to get something going, it was a breakdown here, a breakdown there. The second half it seemed like we were on their side of the field most of the half. Our special teams could have been better tonight, too.”

Cary-Grove capitalized on a CL South turnover to take a second-quarter lead. On first-and-10 at their own 19-yard line, the Gators fumbled a handoff and Cary-Grove’s Andrew Sobeski pounced on it at the 17.

Trojans running back Ryan Mahoney cashed in on the next play. He took a pitch to the left side, cut inside a kick-out block from Connor Carlson and raced 17-yards up the sideline. Josh Buckingham’s kick made it 7-0. with 8:18 left in the second quarter.

Cary-Grove maintained its 7-0 lead until the fourth quarter. A second consecutive high punt snap by Cary-Grove contributed to a 7-yard punt, which gave the Gators good field position at the Cary-Grove 45-yard line.

A 32-yard pass from quarterback Austin Fowler to Walovitch set up first-and-goal at the 8. Fullback Reese Dziedzic scored 2 plays later on a 9-yard pass in the flat from Fowler.

“We ran that play last week and (Crystal Lake) Central played it really tough,” Dziedzic said. “I was hoping to get a couple of yards, but the rover bit on the seam and I just got upfield.”

With the game tied 7-7 Cary-Grove quarterback Corey Laktas threw a bomb to an open receiver behind the CL South defensive secondary but the ball was dropped. The Trojans punted on the next play from their own 21-yard line.

CL South took over at the Cary-Grove 44-yard line, but the drive stalled after 3 incomplete passes. The Gators lined up to punt but instead faked to up-man Dziedzic, who rumbled 15 yards for a first down to the Cary-Grove 29, setting up Walovitch’s game-winning field goal, his longest by far.

“I’ve hit 45 (yards) tops in practice a couple of times in a row, but never (51) like that,” Walovitch said. “I couldn’t believe it went in. I didn’t think I hit it good enough. I saw it was straight, but I was just hoping it got over.”