Lisle grabs come-from-behind win
The biggest offensive play involving Lisle junior wide receiver Demetrius Kellie in Friday's season opener might not even have been his two touchdown receptions in the second half.
With 4:11 left and the Lions trailing, Kellie nearly caught junior quarterback Jay McGrath's fourth-and-11 bomb near the 7-yard line. A pass interference penalty advanced the ball to the 26 and kept the drive alive.
"I don't know if I could have come down with the ball. I'm just happy we got the call," Kellie said.
When senior Jake Ventrella scored on a 1-yard run with 1:27 left and McGrath converted the extra point, the Lions pulled out a wild 27-26 victory over Sandwich at Benedictine University after falling behind 19-7 in the third quarter.
Kellie's TD catches of 21 and 20 yards put the Lions ahead 20-19 with 9:12 left, but the Indians answered with a 73-yard pass play off a quick slant and Sam Brunoehler's 1-yard TD run with 5:55 to play.
"It's awesome. One of my favorite games I've ever played in right here," McGrath said. "The first half was kind of rough for us. We didn't execute or play defense too well, but the second half was awesome. I'll remember that for a while."
Taking over for graduated brother Mark as the starting quarterback, McGrath was 0-for-6 passing in the first half but with a couple near catches. When his first second-half attempt was a 47-yard completion to Logan Metoyer to the 23, the Lions' confidence flourished.
"I felt a lot of momentum from that point. The whole team was excited and we felt ready to go," said McGrath, who finished 5 for 18 for 118 yards. "(Mark) gave me a shoutout on Twitter. He's having fun at (Wisconsin) Whitewater. I'm having fun here."
The Indians' final drive began at their 21. They reached the 38 before a four-down incomplete pass with one second left.
"It was an exciting game. We just had the ball in a good situation to core that last touchdown. We stole one today," Lisle coach Paul Parpet Sr. said.
"We respond. I thought our defense played pretty good in the second half except for that one slant pattern."
Taking advantage of a high punt snap, Lisle got the ball at the 25 on its first possession and scored on a 9-yard run by senior Cameron Still. The Lions gained 14 yards the rest of the half.
Sandwich scored on a 25-yard TD pass on fourth-and 13 and 4-yard TD pass on third-and-goal but missed both conversions on a run stopped just short of the goal-line and a failed halfback option pass. The Lions' second conversion kick caromed off the left goal post.
"We held them in check most of the game. They were able to convert on big plays," said Sandwich coach Chris VanDyke, a Naperville Central graduate.
"I've got to do a better job preparing them. It did go back and forth and again it's where we were at last year, to be able to close out the game and finish out. We're still a play or two from that."