Chase Hetfleisch helps Lincoln-Way West engineer a big win over Bolingbrook

NEW LENOX — At the start of the season, Chase Hetfleisch figured he would be a backup to starting quarterback Cole Crafton.

But Crafton, a Louisville baseball commit, suffered a leg injury and Hetfleisch was thrust into the starting role for Lincoln-Way West.

Hetfleisch led the Warriors to an overtime win last week against crosstown rival Lincoln-Way Central.

Friday night promised to be an even bigger test, with Bolingbrook and the high-powered combination of quarterback Jonas Williams and receiver Kyan Berry-Johnson coming to town.

Williams and Berry-Johnson did not disappoint, with Williams throwing for 336 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Berry-Johnson, who had 14 catches for 241 yards.

In the end, though, it was Hetfleisch who guided his team to the 38-28 victory.

He completed 10-of-16 passes for 175 yards and ran seven times for 54 yards, including scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a 29-yard scamper.

“At the start of the year, I never thought I would be playing much in this game,” Hetfleisch said. “But, that’s the way football is sometimes. The next guy has to step up.

“It feels amazing to get a win over a team like Bolingbrook. We had a game plan to try to hold onto the ball as long as we could and keep their offense off the field. The offensive line was amazing all night, opening holes for the backs and giving me time to throw.”

With Bolingbrook leading 21-17 at halftime, West (4-1) got the ball to open the second half. Hetfleisch dropped back and aired out a deep pass toward Jacob Bereza.

Bereza made a leaping catch over a Raider defender, then kept his feet and outran the rest of the Bolingbrook defense for a 72-yard touchdown and a 24-21 lead.

“That was just a great play call by the coaches,” Hetfleisch said. “And it was a great play by Jacob. A lot of guys would go up and land on their back, but he stayed on his feet and kept going.”

The Raiders (3-2) answered, taking advantage of a roughing the punter penalty to keep the drive alive, and ended with a 5-yard TD pass from Williams to Berry-Johnson to move ahead 28-24.

As unlikely as it seemed at the time, it was the last time Bolingbrook scored.

West, meanwhile, stayed with its game plan of keeping the ball on the ground. The Warriors drove to the Raiders’ 29, where Hetfleisch faked a handoff to Joey Campagna (20 carries, 94 yards, 2 TDs) and ran around the left end for a 29-yard touchdown to put his team ahead 31-28.

Bolingbrook then drove to the West 16 and had fourth-and-3. A screen to Berry-Johnson was stuffed by West’s Braden Erwin and Jackson Mansker for a 3-yard loss.

The Raider defense forced a punt and took over at the West 42.

On third down, a Williams pass was deflected by linebacker John Ramos and intercepted by safety Ryan Stiglic, who returned it to the Raiders’ 39.

From there, the Warriors kept it on the ground, mixing up Campagna and Jahan Abubakar (18 carries, 97 yards, 1 TD), with Campagna scoring from a yard out with 4:10 left to make it 38-28.

“That ball was in the air a long time,” Stiglic said. “Ramos made a great play to tip it, and I was in the right spot to get it when it came down. We knew they had a great offense and we had to get the ball somehow.”

Bolingbrook refused to die easy, and drove to the West 4-yard line before a fumble was recovered by West’s Jake Steffek with 2:10 remaining. West then ran out the clock for the win.

West coach Luke Lokanc had praise all around for his team.

“This is a great feeling for our kids and our coaching staff,” he said. “Everyone worked very hard and prepared well for this game. We had a game plan and we executed it. Chase Hetfleisch is a competitor and he has a great group surrounding him that has rallied around him.

“Our defensive line did a great job. We knew Bolingbrook would put up some numbers, but against an explosive team like that, you have to adjust and we did a great job of that. We got a couple of turnovers and ran the ball well. Joey and Jahan both ran very hard. I can’t speak enough about how Joey Campagna has been a leader and taken Jahan under his wing. They are really a great combo and our staff does a great job of rotating them in and out.

“And, our offensive line is probably our most improved unit since the summer started. Coaches [Andy] Zurales and [Steve] Bauer have done a great job with them. I am so happy for everyone at this school. This is a big win.”