Kaneland loses heartbreaker
From the Kaneland sidelines to the stands to the press box, as Drew Franklin lofted his 30-yard field goal attempt toward the goal posts for a potential last-second game-winning kick, everyone wearing black started celebrating.
But Franklin's kick sailed high and just barely right, the official signaling no good and leaving the Knights on the short end of a 14-13 decision in a nonconference loss Friday in Maple Park.
Kaneland (2-1) won almost every statistical category against Rich Central (2-1), holding the Olympians to 5 first downs and negative 27 yards rushing while outgaining them 322-185.
The only numbers that mattered saw the Knights fall a point short.
"I was very proud of them. They did exactly what we preach to them," Kaneland coach Tom Fedderly said. "They played a four-quarter game. They had a shot at the end to pull it out. It didn't go for us tonight but the effort was there. It was two pretty good teams that battled right to the end."
Kaneland's defense, which dominated Rich Central all night other than two long touchdown passes, gave quarterback Jake Marczuk and the Knights' offense one final chance with a three-and-out with 1:47 remaining.
Rich Central, who averaged 17 yards on its 3 punts, shanked a 15-yarder that set the Knights up at the Olympians' 35-yard line - but with no timeouts remaining.
Marczuk came through with a 4-yard completion to Kevin Fuchs on a 4th-and-4 to keep Kaneland's hopes alive. A 6-yard completion to Tyler Paulson moved the Knights closer, and a 5-yard sideline pattern to Mitchel Groen stopped the clock with 7.7 seconds left, setting up Franklin's 30-yard attempt that came so close to going in it had everybody in the press box asking each other if the kick was good or not.
"We made some clutch plays at the end just to get us an opportunity," Fedderly said.
"Hard to say," junior linebacker Jake Gomes said of the final kick. "No one play makes a game. A collection of plays make a game."
Franklin booted 25- and 30-yard field goals in the first half. When the second of those went through, with 9:21 left in the second quarter, it tied the game at 6-6.
Kaneland could have been up at that point, running 25 plays to 2 for Rich Central. But the Knights saw both drives stall in the red zone, while 5-foot-7 DeQuan Dudley leapt high for a 1-handed catch in the flat, then broke free down the sideline for an 86-yard score.
"He's a phenomenal athlete," Olympians coach Terrell Alexander said. "Some people will say he is undersized but he looked like the tallest guy on the field on that catch. He's got a big heart."
Still tied 6-6 in the third quarter after Kaneland failed to capitalize on two drives deep into Rich Central territory late in the first half - first bobbling a snap on a 4th-and-1 from the 11, then throwing incomplete into the end zone on the final play of the half after a 12-yard sack on the previous play took them out of field goal range - Kaneland finally found pay dirt early in the third quarter.
Paulsen got there, breaking several tackles and using a cutback move for a 20-yard score and a 13-6 lead.
That held until the second of Rich Central's big plays, a 57-yard touchdown again from DeQuan Richie to Dudley with 2:14 left in the third quarter. The Olympians went for the 2-point conversion, and Jordan Fuqua ran into the end zone for what proved to be the winning points.
"Credit to them," Fedderly said. "They made two plays."
Kaneland's defense kept giving the Knights a chance. A Brandon Kigyos interception stopped one Olympian drive, Danny Hammermeister made a big hit to stuff a 4th-down run, and Gomes came up with a sack to stop another drive. Andrew Kray also had 2 sacks.
Franklin Hunt countered with an even bigger play for Rich Central, intercepting a pass that floated a little too long in the end zone after the Knights had driven to the 4 -yard line midway through the fourth quarter.
"The team did what we needed to do," Gomes said. "We got pressure on the quarterback. We're not hanging our heads about this loss. We've got to come back and prepare for next week. There's room to improve. The sky is the limit."
Marczuk completed 13 of 26 passes for 109 yards. The Knights were at their best with Marczuk running as he dodged tacklers all night for 158 yards on 31 carries.
"Defensively we struggled a little bit," Alexander said. "Those guys moved the ball up and down the field pretty good. The football gods looked out for us a little on that kick. The Kaneland Knights are a class act. They hosted well and we know they are a great program. It's a great win for our program."