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Streator finishes against Lisle

Lisle, which had it playoff hopes dashed last week, was less than 90 seconds from dealing Streator a similar fate.

But Streator sophomore running back Tray Fisher broke a 16-yard touchdown run with 1:25 remaining, then sacked Lisle sophomore quarterback Aidan Lombardo twice on the Lions' final possession. The Bulldogs held on to defeat Lisle 36-29 Friday at Benedictine University.

Fisher, a transfer from Ottawa, shredded the Lisle defense for 246 yards and 3 touchdowns on 31 carries.

"He's a great player," Streator coach Brian Hassett said. "I'm glad we have him in our program."

Lisle's defense saw more of him than they cared to.

"We didn't really bring it on defense," Lisle two-way standout Benjamin Laning said. "It's hard to say that. It's hard to see that happen in our last game. We were missing a few of our better players on defense. That may have contributed to how we played."

Lisle's offense could not be faulted for the loss. Lombardo led Lisle (3-6, 2-3 Interstate Eight Small) on touchdown drives of 77, 65 and 65 yards in the first half as the Lions built a 21-14 halftime lead.

Logan Metoyer capped two of those drives with runs of 4 and 18 yards and Lombardo added a 29-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Stitt.

"I thought (Lombardo) made a lot of strides this week," Lisle coach Paul Parpet Sr. said. "I thought our whole team made a lot of strides."

Fisher tied the game with a 60-yard burst on the first play of the second half, then Bulldogs quarterback John Benckendorf scored from 7 yards out late in the third quarter to give Streator (5-4, 2-3 Interstate Eight Large) a 28-21 advantage.

But Laning capped an 80-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run and added the 2-point conversion to give Lisle a 29-28 lead with 4:38 remaining. The go-ahead score was set up by Caleb Carter's 60-yard burst on first-and-15 from the Lisle 15.

"On offense we gave it our all," Laning said. "We did really good. It was probably one of the best offensive we've had in a long time."

Lisle had a final chance, driving from its own 43 to the Streator 25-yard line with 38 seconds remaining. But Lombardo's Hail Mary into the end zone was swatted away by a Streator defender.

"It was a good ballgame," Parpet said. "I thought Stitt was going to get that jump ball down there (at the end). It's the first time he's been back in three weeks. He's been playing on fumes for a while. It's a tough way for these seniors to go out."

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