Wild final play helps York hold off Naperville Central, reach state for first time

NAPERVILLE – It was a gutsy call and it led to a loss of 43 yards. Yet it’s a play the York football team and fans will remember for a long time.

Clinging to a seven-point lead over Naperville Central with 10 seconds left and a Class 8A state title game berth on the line, the Dukes decided to keep the ball in the hands of speedy quarterback Bruno Massel on fourth-and-1 at their own 43-yard line.

But rather than run right into a stout Redhawks defensive front that had stopped the Dukes for no gain on the two previous plays, Massel turned and sprinted toward his own end zone looking to take an intentional safety and run as much time off the clock as possible.

The York quarterback raced into the end zone, saw a few ticks left on the clock and managed to avoid a couple of would-be tacklers before getting forced out of the back of the end zone as time expired.

The wild play gave the Dukes a 20-15 victory and sent them to the state championship game against Loyola (11-2) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium in Normal.

It’s the first appearance in a state title game for Duke (11-2).

The Redhawks saw their season come to a close at 11-2 and one game away from returning to the state final for the first time since they won it all in 2013.

“I was thinking, ‘Am I crazy?’'’ York first-year coach Don Gelsomino said when asked about the final play. “My thought was actually that we’d probably get out of the back of the end zone with four seconds. They didn’t have a timeout. We then kick off and maybe they get a shot at a Hail Mary.”

Massel, a sprinter who qualified for state in track and field, used his legs to get to the end zone and then to avoid getting tackled before the clock ran out.

Massel also used his legs for a 51-yard run that led to a 10-yard touchdown run as York grabbed a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

“Bruno made a couple guys miss in the end zone and 10 seconds ran off,” Gelsomino said. “Next thing you know the game is over. The best play he had all night was that play. He juked three kids out in the end zone and saw zeroes and backed out. A weird thing is I took this [field] direction so we could see the clock in the fourth quarter and it paid off when he got back there, turned around and it worked.”

The state semifinal was all it was cracked up to be: A pair of storied programs with strong defenses and talented weapons on offense.

Naperville Central drew even on Aiden Clark’s 42-yard touchdown jaunt in the first quarter and led 10-7 at the half after a 40-yard field goal by Gavin Ellison, who later booted a 38-yarder in the fourth quarter to pull the Redhawks to within 14-13.

Massel, who had close to 300 yards of total offense before losing 43 yards on the safety, converted several key third and fourth downs to keep drives alive as York made just enough big plays to end the Redhawks’ hopes for a third state title.

“All props to the guys up front and the guys out wide,” Massel said. “The line protects me and the receivers make plays on the ball.”

As for the night’s final play, Massel said, “I got to the end zone. I saw the clock and I knew I had to make one or two guys miss. Unbelievable play call. The guts for coach to call that. To put faith in our guys up front and me in general.”

Naperville Central quarterback Sebastian Hayes finished 9 for 21 for 118 yards and a costly interception. The Dukes’ defense, led by Notre Dame commit Joe Reiff, pressured Hayes all night long, making it difficult to get the ball to top receiver DeShaun Williams, who was held to two catches for five yards.

“We played lights-out. That’s an amazing Naperville Central offense led by an amazing quarterback. DeShaun, he’s something … but I’m so proud of the way our defense played. It’s surreal. I don’t know what to do with myself right now,” Reiff said as he celebrated on the field with fans.

The Redhawks’ defense, a strong point all year long, played well. Daniel Nussbaum, one of many seniors who helped the program thrive the last couple of years, helped make the Dukes have to fight for every yard.

“When we needed to executem we didn’t really do it,” said Nussbaum, who had an interception the previous week and multiple tackles for loss Nov. 23. “I’m proud of the whole team. We fought to the last second. I couldn’t be prouder than to call this team family. I love every single person on the team. Credit to York, they played well. It was the greatest four years of my life. I loved playing with them all. It’s a family and it’s something I’ll remember forever. Memories are not just going to be this loss.”

Clark, who battled a knee injury this season, gained 85 yards on 18 carries, including his long touchdown run that he capped by diving into the end zone.

“I can’t say I have ever done that before but I’ll be honest, I was running and I was like I gotta dive. I’m not sure it was necessary,” he said, explaining the fashion in which he flew into the end zone on his 42-yarder that tied the game 7-7.

The Redhawks were hurt by some penalties that wiped out big gains and also had a couple of near long passes they just couldn’t execute.

“They made some great plays but I really think we beat ourselves today. We had three 20-plus plays that were redacted by penalties,” Clark said. “They have great players … but I don’t think there’s a team in this state that can beat us when we were driving. Last week was awesome. It’s unfortunate this is how it ends but the world keeps spinning.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20241123/prep-football/a-winning-loss-york-clinches-victory-over-naperville-central-with-game-ending-safety/