Dom Pisciotti, Lyons rally from 20-point deficit to stun Downers Grove North in showdown of unbeatens

DOWNERS GROVE – Entering the Oct. 11 West Suburban Silver showdown against Downers Grove North having not turned the ball over all season, Lyons proceeded to give the ball away five times in just over two quarters.

But senior quarterback Dom Pisciotti and his Lions teammates dug deep and pulled out a miraculous 21-20 come-from-behind road win over Downers Grove North in a matchup of unbeatens.

Pisciotti connected with Mack Long for three second-half touchdowns, the last one the game-winner from 10 yards out with 2:37 remaining.

”This means everything,” said Pisciotti, who threw interceptions on four consecutive possessions in the first half. “This senior class, we’ve been playing together since the third grade. And we’ve been playing those guys for years. It’s a really fun win.

”You know, you expect your mind to go a million different places. You want to be mad and angry but you have to trust your teammates and also trust yourself. No matter if it’s good or bad, you definitely have to stay at the same level. And you could feel the energy change for sure (after the first TD). It made us believe that we had a better shot.”

Long’s first touchdown, a 64-yarder down the left sideline in which he beat his defender on a go-route, came immediately after Jake Gregorio had given the Trojans (6-1, 4-1) a 20-0 lead on a 72-yard run early in the third quarter.

Long, a senior wideout, then hauled in a 15-yard score with 9:13 left in the fourth quarter. Long finished with five catches for 111 yards while also ending the home team’s final possession with an interception.

”At halftime, nobody had their heads down,” said Long, who also scored three touchdowns the previous week against Oak Park-River Forest. “We all knew we could come back and win the game. We just kept pushing and pushing.

”I think a lot of it was reading their defense and figuring out the matchups. Just figuring out what spots we needed to get our guys to win. It all came together. That’s a huge win.”

Danny Carroll played a pivotal role in the comeback, rushing for 104 yards on 21 attempts while catching six balls for 72 yards.

Defensively, Travis Stamm had an interception while Pat Cheney and Brady Rusk contributed sacks for Lyons (7-0, 5-0).

Cheney’s sack knocked Downers Grove North quarterback and Minnesota commit Owen Lansu from the game midway through the second quarter.

”That’s a great team and they are so well-coached,” said Lyons coach Jon Beutjer, whose team can clinch the outright conference title with a win over York this week. “[Downers Grove North] coach [Joe] Horeni does a great job.

”We definitely didn’t have a great start with four turnovers in the first half. I’m proud of the grit and resilience in overcoming adversity. This is a special senior group and I’m proud of them for not giving up and playing hard. They continued to trust each other and the coaches.”

Gregorio scored two touchdowns on the ground, including a 38-yard run to break a scoreless tie on the play after Lansu was knocked out of the game. Gregorio totaled 137 yards on 11 carries.

Downers Grove North’s Aiden Solecki contributed an interception and two-yard return for a touchdown on a failed screen pass. Ethan Kist picked off two passes, Charlie Cruse notched an interception and Joe LaSota recovered a fumble.

Nick Konopiots completed 2-of-3 passes for 45 yards in relief of Lansu, who finished 8-of-12 through the air for 38 yards.

”That was a great football game,” Horeni said. “That was a great effort by Lyons to fight back and win the game.

”I thought our defense did an unbelievable job. We played a lot of guys both ways and I’m proud of the way they fought. The West Suburban Silver is the real deal. I’m happy for LT and we just have to get back to work and get healthy. We obviously had some key injuries.”

Geneva 28, Wheaton North 24: A sack from Troy Velez and Sean Lane along with a pass breakup in the end zone from Talyn Taylor helped Geneva move to 7-0 on the season with a DuKane Conference victory over Wheaton North.

Fenwick 42, Benet 7: Auburn recruit Nate Marshall and the Fenwick defense forced three turnovers in the first half and the Friars went on to a dominating win at Benet in a matchup of 5-1 teams.

Wheaton Warrenville South 27, Lake Park 14: Owen Yorke had 279 all-purpose yards, 203 of them rushing, to power Wheaton Warrenville South past Lake Park in a matchup of DuKane Conference teams that came in with 3-3 records.

Montini 31, St. Viator 14: Montini’s defense made two goal line stands, one early and another in the fourth quarter when the Lions were mounting a rally, to come away with the win.

Glenbard East 49, West Chicago 15: Amonte Cook had a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown and caught two TD passes from Michael Nee, sparking Glenbard East past West Chicago. The Rams clinched the program’s record seventh straight playoff bid.

Willowbrook 31, Oak Park-River Forest 14: Jahonise Reed threw three touchdown passes for the Warriors (4-3), who won their third straight game. Two of Reed’s TD passes went to Martin Anfinson and the other was a 66-yarder to Jesus Gomez. Reed was 13 for 19 for 169 yards. Anthony Leo rushed for 81 yards on 15 carries for Willowbrook.

Downers Grove South 33, Leyden 7: Keon Maggitt had a punt return for 60 yards and caught a 48-yard touchdown for the Mustangs. Defensively, Colin Pierce had a fumble recovery, two solo tackles and four assisted tackles.

Glenbard South 24, Ridgewood 21: The Raiders (5-2) became playoff eligible with their fifth win.

Other area scores: Hinsdale South 53, Proviso East 7; IC Catholic Prep 40, Marmion 6; St. Francis 38, Marian Catholic 27; Richards 21, Lemont 10.