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Lake Park stuns Neuqua Valley to keep playoff hopes alive

Lake Park completed its first step toward what it hopes will be its first IHSA playoff berth since 2009.

Needing a win in their final two games to have a shot at the postseason, the Lancers pulled off a 28-21 victory at Neuqua Valley on Friday night to move to 4-4 on the season (4-3 DuPage Valley Conference). The Lancers host Naperville Central in the regular-season finale next week.

"Big win for Lake Park against a really good Neuqua team," Lake Park senior quarterback Jaron Fields said. "We have hopes of making big things happen for Lake Park, things that haven't been done in a while."

The game saw 23 penalties for 246 yards as Neuqua Valley (6-2, 5-2) was flagged 13 times for 134 yards.

"It was just us being too complacent with ourselves," Neuqua Valley senior Isaiah Robertson said. "We should have had a better week of practice and we should have focused harder. We've just got to execute better."

Robertson scored the game's first touchdown on the second play from scrimmage, hauling in a 63-yard pass up the middle from Jack Stankoven that put the Wildcats up 7-0 early in the first quarter.

But Fields answered on the Lancers' second possession, going 73 yards in 15 plays in a drive that culminated in a game-tying 7-yard touchdown run by Melvin Smiley.

Lake Park took the lead for good with 9:40 left in the second quarter on a 12-yard keeper up the middle by Fields to give his team a 14-7 lead heading into halftime.

Childs second touchdown of the game gave the Lancers their biggest lead up to that point at 21-7 when he scored on a 1-yard keeper on the opening possession of the third quarter.

"Our offensive line had an incredible game," Lake Park coach Chris Roll said. "That's the best they've played all year."

Stankoven's 20-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Brett Borske on fourth down cut the Lancers' lead to 21-14 with 7:13 left in the third quarter.

After Lake Park forced Neuqua Valley into a turnover on downs with 7:56 to go in the game, Fields orchestrated his team's final scoring drive, which ended in a 36-yard run by Jackson Nie.

Stankoven and Borske connected again on another 20-yard touchdown strike with 5:29 left, but Lake Park took nearly five minutes off the clock in its final drive including two first-down runs.

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