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2-point conversion gives Rolling Meadows dramatic win over St. Viator

The “swinging gate” play had Rolling Meadows fans swinging in their home stands on Friday night.

Trailing St. Viator by 1 point after quarterback Asher O'Hara tossed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Luka Pavlakis with 32.6 seconds left, the Mustangs used the gimmick play for the game-winning 2-point conversion.

With the Meadows offensive line positioned to the left, Pavlakis lined up like he was going to kick the extra point.

But junior holder Blake Holfeld took the snap toward the right side of the field and receiver Jose Camacho drifted out to his right.

Holfeld's first pass of his high school career was a perfect pitch to a wide open Camacho, who made his only catch of the night with another teammate being the closest person to him.

It gave the Mustangs a 19-18 lead, which held up for the final score in the drama-filled football season opener.

In the game's final half minute, Viator got the ball to midfield. QB Tom Majerus completed a 10-yard pass to Cole Kmet but the Lions could not advance as Jack Swindells' interception ended the game three plays later as time expired.

“This is what you dream about,” said Pavlakis, who made his presence felt all over the field on Friday playing tight end, linebacker and kicker. “I wouldn't expect anything else of coach (Matt) Mishler. We don't take draws.”

Especially when offensive special teams coach Brian Hauck had drawn up the perfect play.

“Something we talked about this season is that we had to get better on special teams.” Mishler said. “And the credit goes to both Jeremy (Harkin) and Brian (Hauck). Jeremy is in charge of defense and Brian has the offense. That ‘swinging gate' was all Brian. The bottom line is the kids executed it.”

Meadows led 8-0 when O'Hara scored on a 2-yard run and Pavlakis took a pitch from Holfeld to score the 2-point conversion with 4:58 left in the first quarter.

The Lions trailed 8-3 at half, thanks to a 27-yard field goal by Bryce Hellgeth with 9:09 left in the second quarter.

Viator took its first lead when Joey McIntrye raced 30 yards up the middle for a TD with 11:58 left in the game. Majerus' 2-point pass to Cole Kmet made it 11-8.

Pavlakis booted a 29-yard field to tie the game at 11-11 with 10:05 left.

But Viator came right back with an 80-yard TD march, capped by McIntyre's 35-yard run up the middle that led to the 18-11 advantage with 7:03 left.

Meadows started its winning drive on it own 26 and kept the ball all the way to the final half minute when it reached the end zone.

“I knew they were going for two,” said Viator coach Brandon New. “I said we had to be ready for that. It's one of those gimmick plays you have to rep, and they executed it. I thought both teams were exhausted and there was a lot of cramping.”

Pavlakis, who blocked a punt to set up Meadows' first TD, feared the worst when he was hit by two defenders early in the third quarter.

“When I rolled my ankle there, I felt for a second like I broke it.” he said. “It's my senior year and I didn't want to come out of the game.”

Instead, he was in the game offensively, defensively and special-teams wise all the way to the end.

“His field goal was big,” Mishler said. “We might have made one in my whole time here (five years as head coach). That was as fast and as hard-hitting of a football game that I've seen in a long time. That (St. Viator) is a good football team we played.”

New liked the way his team played defense in the first two quarters.

“I thought we played lights out defensively in the first half,” he said. “But we made a lot of bonehead mistakes that cost us. We also did a lot of good things. I thought we had a lot of momentum with our last score, but then they put together an impressive drive.”

Working behind linemen Grant Palmer, Andrew Neville, Tommy Larson, Jake Maloney and David Murphy, O'Hara marched the Mustangs 74 yards for the game-winning points capped by Holfeld and Camacho.

“Blake (Holfeld) had never done that for us,” Mishler said. “He really clutched up. And Jose (cornerback) had some reasons to hang his head but he really executed when he had to.”

Images: Rolling Meadows edges St. Viator, 19-18 in football

  Rolling Meadows' Luka Pavlakis is upended by a St. Viator player on this run in the first quarter of opening-night football against St. Viator at Rolling Meadows. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
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