It might be unfair to say Bolingbrook gift-wrapped Friday night’s 23-20 loss to Maine South, but it was feeling a lot like Christmas along the Hawks’ sideline.
Maine South had to rally from three deficits and trailed 20-17 with 9 minutes 38 seconds left. The Hawks then put together their first consistent drive against a surprising defense. Quarterback Tyler Knight (10 of 18, 108 yards) capped an eight-play, 61-yard drive with an 11-yard pass to Adam Fell with 3:04 remaining to lead 23-20.
Bolingbrook had a last shot, driving to the Maine South 18, where the game ended with its third fumble.
“That was a win, and winning ugly,” Knight said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. I didn’t get the protection I was used to last year. But I have faith in these guys and this team.”
The unranked Raiders gave Maine South all it could handle most of the night, thanks mostly to undersized but explosive quarterback Javon Stewart (20 rushes, 91 yards) and junior back Dale Martin (18 carries, 157 yards). Martin’s 50-yard TD run with 8:06 left in the third gave the Raiders a 20-14 lead.
