Lemont rallies late, hangs on to edge T.F. North for playoff eligibility

CALUMET CITY - Two late touchdowns. Two huge interceptions from junior Nevan Bufka. One final two-point conversion stop in the final minute.

Lemont needed it all Thursday night to become playoff eligible with a heart-stopping fifth win.

“It’s awesome,” senior receiver Jason Piskule said. “We worked really hard for it. We just have to keep grinding, come in Monday knowing everyone’s 0-0, watch film and stay disciplined.”

Piskule had the game-winning 32-yard touchdown catch from Chris Montell with 35 seconds left and Lemont survived a frantic finish for a 19-18 win over Thornton Fractional North.

Lemont (5-4, 5-1) clinched at least a share of the South Suburban Blue championship and will win it outright if Hillcrest loses to Bremen on Saturday.

More importantly, Lemont - which has not missed the playoffs since 2013 - got that vital fifth win.

“It’s extremely important,” first-year Lemont coach Willie Hayes said. “You come to Lemont, you have the expectation that we’re going to make the playoffs and we’re going to make a deep run. In the last 20 years, I think we’ve only missed the playoffs once. It’s just a testament to the coaches before me who laid the foundation and thankfully, we’re going to continue to go at it.”

Daniel Taylor ran for 118 yards on 11 carries, including a 50-yard touchdown for Lemont.

Terrion Long had a 6-yard touchdown run for T.F. North (7-2, 4-2).

It was Long who nearly rescued the Meteors in the final seconds. After Piskule’s touchdown catch gave Lemont a 19-12 lead, Long returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown.

With 18.8 seconds to go, T.F. North elected to try for a go-ahead two-point conversion but Dominic Gradford’s pass fell incomplete as several Lemont defenders swarmed the intended receiver.

“You talk about life lessons in general with kids never giving up and continuing to fight no matter what adversity gets thrown at you,” Hayes said. “They could have easily said they were done after the kickoff return but we’re looking at a two-point conversion and our kids stepped up.”

Lemont’s playoff chances seemed to be on life support before Bufka provided a spark.

Lemont scored on Taylor’s 50-yard touchdown run on the game’s first play from scrimmage, but had been shut out since then and trailed 12-6 with under four minutes to go when Bufka intercepted a pass at the T.F. North 40-yard line and returned it all the way to the 16.

Two plays later, Zac Piskule scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 12-12.

“Our offense was struggling,” Bufka said. “We’ve been struggling all year. Sometimes you’ve just got to make a play, get them good field position and give them a chance.”

Bufka came up with another interception on the Meteors’ next drive, setting his team up 45 yards from the end zone with 1:52 to go.

Four plays later, Montell hit Jason Piskule for the game-winning 32-yard touchdown pass.

“We’ve been working to connect for a long, long time,” Jason Piskule said. “We’ve had some rough games, but when our backs were against the wall, we can connect. We’re like that. We put in the work in practice. We’ve ran that play about 100,000 times and we finally got to do it in this fog and rain and it was awesome.”

Lemont found a way to keep its season going. Bufka insisted he never had a doubt.

“It got to a point where everybody put their heads down, but I always kept mine up,” Bufka said. “I knew we were going to come into this game and win it. I’ve got faith in my guys and faith in this team. All those hardships we’ve faced, you just have to build off that. That showed (Thursday). We got the job done.”