Chris Miller first start at running back? 290 yards, 5 TDs as Lockport edges Homewood-Flossmoor

FLOSSMOOR – Chris Miller had never carried the ball for Lockport this season.

Friday night, Miller had 29 carries.

For 290 yards and five touchdowns.

In something out of a storybook, Miller filled in as running back for the injury-plagued Porters and had a game Lockport fans will never forget. His performance helped rally Lockport from a 19-point halftime deficit for a 36-32 victory over host Homewood-Flossmoor in an unforgettable Southwest Valley Blue game.

With the win, Lockport (4-5, 2-2) kept its slim playoff hopes alive, though in the end no 4-5 teams made the field of 256. H-F (4-5, 1-3) saw its hopes for making the postseason end.

“We’re so low on running backs that when it came to my time to go in, I just had to step up,” Miller said. “I was a running back my freshman year, but only carried the ball on the sophomore team in a couple of games.

“So I had some experience, but that’s about it. I was thrown into practice this week, and I didn’t know one play.”

The junior carried the ball on the Porters’ first play from scrimmage and gained no yards. He had plenty of yards after that.

Lockport lost two starting senior running backs this season. Johnny Wesolowski went out with an injury at the end of the second game of the season. Tyler Pospisil had filled in and done well, but he suffered a pair of broken ribs in last week’s 40-39 double-overtime loss to Lincoln-Way West.

With Pospisil out for this game, Miller – normally a starting linebacker – stepped up.

“Pops gave everything,” Lockport coach George Czart said. “But we knew Chris had a little bit of experience running the ball. He’s great at continuing to drive his legs, he’s competitive, he’s strong, he’s determined.”

Miller was determined on the game-winning drive. The Vikings had recaptured the lead with their lone touchdown of the second half, an 11-yard run by senior quarterback Randall McDonald with 3:51 to play. The extra-point kick was low, and H-F led 32-29.

Undaunted, the Porters went 71 yards in seven plays. Miller had six carries for 47 yards on the drive, including what proved to be the winning TD on a 4-yard run with 1:26 remaining.

“As soon as I scored my first touchdown, it gave me confidence,” Miller said. “A shoutout to my guy, Adam Kozak, who gave me a block. I had super confidence after that.”

H-F had a holding penalty on its first play from scrimmage after Miller’s final touchdown. After losing 1 yard and three straight incompletions, the Porters celebrated one of their best victories in years.

“We knew we were good enough,” Lockport junior linebacker Andre Labuda said. “We just had to go out and do it.”

It was Labuda who made a key defensive play by grabbing an interception at the H-F 21 with 5:02 left in the third quarter. That led to Miller scoring on a 3-yard run.

“I just saw the ball, grabbed it and did a little toe-tap to stay in bounds,” Labuda said. “You could feel a change in momentum after that.”

Following a punt, Miller leaped in from the 1 and added the 2-point conversion run with 11:05 to play for a 32-29 lead.

McDonald had touchdown passes of 38 and 59 yards in the first half. The second put the Vikings ahead 26-7 at halftime. Jayden Banks burst 73 yards for a TD, and fellow senior running back Michael Terrell added a 7-yard TD run.

Miller’s first TD was a 30-yard run on a fourth-and-1 play with 9:43 left in the second quarter. That capped a 97-yard drive. He finished the Porters’ opening drive of the second half on a 35-yard touchdown jaunt.

“I could never imagine this,” Miller said. “I just manifested it. I just believed in myself, and I’ll never forget it.”