Pat Cheney, Lyons show ‘perseverance,’ turn away last-minute Hinsdale Central drive

HINSDALE – As Hinsdale Central drove down the field in the closing seconds, Lyons Township linebacker Pat Cheney was confident he and his fellow defenders would hold.

“Perseverance. Our motto is JYD – junkyard dogs,” Cheney said after the Lions prevailed over the host Red Devils 21-16 in a West Suburban Silver showdown. “We all worked together and got the stop.”

Lyons coach Jon Beutjer breathed a huge sigh of relief once Hinsdale Central quarterback Riley Contreras’ final pass fell incomplete as time expired.

“I’m just so proud of our players,” Beutjer said. “Hats off to (Hinsdale Central). They played hard and had a good game plan. But our kids showed grit. We had some adversity at the end, but our kids hung strong.”

After a scoreless first quarter, Hinsdale Central (1-2, 0-1 WSC Silver) got a break with 3:24 left in the first half when Lyons punter Shane Harris bobbled a snap and was dropped for an 18-yard loss by the Red Devils’ Alec Trainer on the Lions’ 43.

But after advancing to the Lyons’ 23, Hinsdale Central kicker Micah Drescher’s 40-yard field-goal attempt was blocked by Cheney. Mack Long scooped up the loose ball and ran 65 yards for a touchdown at the 1:06 mark.

“I bull-rushed the right tackle and got through right away,” Cheney said. “Got past the edge and blocked it.”

Hinsdale Central regrouped and quickly marched 80 yards on six plays in only 46 seconds. Contreras (17-of-35, 175 yards passing) connected with Kelan McInerney on a 23-yard pass that tied the game 7-7 heading into halftime.

“It was huge,” Hinsdale Central Brian Griffin said. “The odds of that happening in a short time, the kids showed tough resolve.”

Lyons (3-0, 1-0) started the second half impressively, marching 80 yards on an 11-play drive that ate up almost 5 1/2 minutes. Danny Carroll (18 rushes, 125 yards) capped it off with a 4-yard touchdown run that gave the Lions a 14-7 lead.

“(Hinsdale Central) was doing some things in the first half we hadn’t seen,” Beutjer said. “But we made some adjustments and that first second-half drive was huge.”

Hinsdale Central cut the deficit to 14-10 on a Drescher 37-yard field goal with 7:59 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Lyons then went on another 80-yard scoring drive, but this one took only five plays. Dom Pisciotti found Tucker King over the middle for a 35-yard touchdown. The Lions looked in command, leading 21-10 with 5:23 left.

The Red Devils refused to fold. James Skokna’s 44-yard kickoff return gave Hinsdale Central excellent field position and Contreras’ 1-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal with 1:47 left made it 21-16.

Drescher’s onside kick failed, but Lyons couldn’t get a first down and Hinsdale Central had a chance to pull out a victory. On fourth-and-15 from the 16-yard line, Contreras found Dominic Tressiar for 17 yards to keep the Red Devils alive.

A completion to Patrick Connors for 17 more yards was followed by consecutive Lyons penalties for targeting and roughing the passer. That put the ball on the Lions’ 13 with 21 seconds left. But Contreras’ final four passes were incomplete, including the final one to Jack Lesniewicz in the end zone. Lesniewicz had his hands on the ball, but a Lyons defender knocked it out, securing the victory for the Lions.

“I’m so proud of these kids. There were several times in this game where we could’ve packed it in,” Griffin said. “Kudos to LT. They executed a little better than we did. We made some plays down the stretch, but we’ve got to finish.”

“It was a battle till the end,” Cheney said. “It was a little sloppy, but we got through.”

Lyons returns home this week to face Glenbard West. Hinsdale Central hosts Morton.