Brad Walovitch’s opportunity to kick a game-winning 52-yard field goal went nowhere near the goal post.
One yard made quite a difference Friday night in Cary-Grove.
Three minutes after missing far short and wide, Walovitch drilled a 51-yarder with six seconds left to give Crystal Lake South a 10-7 upset victory over No. 14 Cary-Grove.
It was the defending Fox Valley Valley champion Gators’ second straight victory over the Trojans following Cary-Grove’s six straight conference titles in the Fox Valley.
“I hit 45 a couple times in practice, but never anything like that in a game,” Walovitch said. “I couldn’t believe it went in. I knew it was straight, but I didn’t think I hit it hard enough.”
With neither team able to sustain offense, the Gators won it with special teams and a dash of trickery.
Walovitch’s booming punts gave South a field-position edge most of the night, and the defense gave the offense another opportunity following his missed field goal with 3 minutes, 8 seconds to play.
Three straight incompletions made it fourth-and-10 from the Cary-Grove 44-yard line. Reese Dziedzic, who scored the Gators’ only touchdown early in the fourth quarter, took the short snap 15 yards for a first down.
A false start penalty turned what would have been a 46-yard attempt into a 51-yarder.
“I had faith in him,” Crystal Lake South coach Chuck Ahsmann said. “I wasn’t sure he was going to make it, but we felt good about going to overtime.
“That’s a heck of a program over there. The last 10 years they’ve beaten the heck out of us, so to get them twice in a row is unbelievable. And if we move to 6A (in the playoffs), we may have to get them three times.”
Player of the game:
Brad Walovitch, Crystal Lake South, 51-yard field goal, 4 punts, 34.5-yard average.
Key performers:
Crystal Lake South — Josh Beveridge, 2 sacks; Reese Dziedzic, 9-yard TD catch. Cary-Grove — Ryan Mahoney, 17-yard TD run; Andrew Sobeski, 2 sacks, fumble recovery.
