advertisement

Jacobs comes back to nip Prospect

Jacobs and junior quarterback Chris Katrenick started the high school football season by showing it is not a good idea to leave before the game is finished.

Visiting Prospect had just driven to a 10-point lead with 2:46 to play and the Golden Eagles were 80 yards from the end zone in their nonconference opener on Friday night in Algonquin. But Katrenick calmly threw a pair of touchdown passes in the final 1:14 and Nathan Meland's diving grab of a tipped 34-yard pass in the back of the end zone capped a stunning 26-24 victory.

“I've never had a catch like that and I've never won a game like that,” the 5-foot-11 Meland said after the biggest of his 8 catches for 111 yards with 24.6 seconds to play.

“We kept being positive on the sideline,” Katrenick said after throwing for 124 of his 207 yards on the final two drives, “and it worked.”

It wasn't easy the way the Knights worked the clock with Bobby Jarosz (23 carries, 128 yards, 2 touchdowns), Andrew Shafis (11 carries, 69 yards) and quarterback Matt Drew (17 carries, 66 yards) pounding the ball behind Matt Schultz, Billy Matzek, Luke Wrede, Ray Beyer and Wojtek Koziol. Drew's 8-yard run capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive that ate up 6:36 and made it 24-14 with 2:46 left.

“We keep working away and keep working away,” said Prospect coach Mike Sebestyen. “I thought defensively we did a good job after the first score and continued to hold them.”

Katrenick then completed 5 of 6 passes for all but 1 yard of a quick 1:32 march downfield that ended with a 5-yard touchdown to Kyle Copeland. De'Angelo Roberson, who blocked a 25-yard field goal in the second quarter, stuffed the extra point.

But Jacobs kicker Jack Hichew hit a perfect onside kick on the left sideline that Blake Tatgenhorst grabbed on a high bounce at the Prospect 45.

“(Hichew) works hard on that every day,” said Jacobs coach Bill Mitz.

Katrenick hit Meland for 9 yards to the 34 on third-and-8. Then Katrenick launched a deep pass with a Prospect defender in front of Meland in the end zone.

“The play before we ran the same play and Nate told me he was pretty wide open on that,” Katrenick said. “The play developed and Nate was about even with the safety and I threw it up for him. I knew he has great ball skills and when I saw him go up I was hoping it would go in his hands.”

First it hit the hands of the defender and popped up before Meland made a juggling grab to set off a wild celebration for the Golden Eagles.

“I was running and looked back and got hit off my route,” Meland said. “Chris threw the ball really high for me to make a play and I knew I had to make a play. I fell back and it landed in my hands — it was really amazing.”

Katrenick's conversion run attempt was stopped but Copeland broke up two of three desperation incomplete passes by Drew from the Prospect 30.

“We all had the same mindset,” Katrenick said. “We never give up.”

Prospect took a 17-7 lead with 2:06 left in the third on Jack Pruban's 22-yard field goal, an interception by Joe Siracusa and Jarosz's 8-yard touchdown run. Katrenick's 2-yard touchdown run with 9:28 to go capped an 80-yard drive.

“Their kid made a heck of a catch. Give him credit, he made a heck of a catch,” Sebestyen said. “We have to learn how to finish the game. We were close but we just didn't finish it.”

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.