The best teams play the best team football at this time of the season. Deerfield displayed that aspect on the one play that sealed Friday night’s victory at Maine West.
Junior linebacker Nick Anderson grabbed a tipped pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown with 1 minute 45 seconds left as Deerfield rallied from a six-point deficit with 7:01 remaining to nip Maine West 34-27 in the Central Suburban North.
Norman LeFlore’s 46-yard interception return for a touchdown had given Maine West (5-3, 2-2) its only lead. Tyler Ladendorf’s interception of a pass by Deerfield’s Alex Loukas (11-for-21, 171 yards) with 5:57 left seemingly had iced the upset.
Instead, Deerfield (7-1, 3-1) stiffened and got the ball back to Loukas (17 carries, 141 yards), who scored for the third time from the 5 with 3:16 to play.
A bad snap to Anderson, Deerfield’s holder, resulted in a 27-27 tie.
Four plays later, Anderson snagged the tipped pass and sealed the victory.
“It really came down to (Shawn) Hierl tipping the pass and Petar (Doko) getting the sack. I was in the right place at the right time,” Anderson said. “When I saw the open field, I was grinning ear to ear.”
