7th win slips through Lockport's fingers

LOCKPORT -- The Lockport football team had one thought in mind heading into Friday night's game: Win and stay home for the first round of the playoffs.

But that didn't happen as the Porters were stunned by a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns as Sandburg rallied for a 14-10 win in an old-fashioned Southwest Suburban Blue battle Friday night.

The winning points came on a turnover. Lockport (6-3, 4-3) looked to be driving for a clinching score when senior quarterback Kyle Billig was hit at the Eagle 27. The ball popped lose and senior linebacker Alex Malfeo returned the fumble 73 yards for the winner with 9:52 to play in the game.

"Their kids are finding ways to win," Lockport coach Bret Kooi said of Sandburg. "We had opportunities to win the game. We looked like we were going in and it (fumble) just happened."

The Porters had two possessions after that. First they went three-and out and punted from their own 31. Then it looked like they had Sandburg junior punter Kyle Zalewski for a 12-yard loss, but Zalewski somehow picked up his own fumble and managed to get off a punt that netted 9 yards.

Starting at the Eagle 49, Lockport reached the Sandburg 35, but turned the ball over on downs with 4:36 to play. The Eagles then ran out the clock as junior running back Jermell Harris picked up 21 yards on a third-and-12 play with just over 2:00 remaining.

"We needed to make a big play there," Kooi said. "There were some big plays, otherwise our defense played pretty well."

Senior quarterback Phil Musa scored on an 11-yard scramble on a third-and-seven play to get the Eagles on the board with 11:52 to play in the game.

Lockport scored on its initial possession on a 24-yard field goal by junior Mitch Zeiler. The Porters grabbed a 10-0 lead when Billig found senior tight end Anthony Liutkus on a 5-yard TD pass with 17.3 seconds left in the first half.

Dan "The Tank" Holman had 19 carries for 136 yards for the Porters, with 60 of those coming on the first play from scrimmage in the game. Lockport was held to 77 yards in the second half.

"We've got to score six or seven there," said Kooi of the opening drive of the game where the Porters failed to take advantage of a first-and-goal at the Sandburg two. "We made a bad read (for an 8-yard loss) and we're talking that's the difference in the game.

"If we're going to go anywhere in the playoffs, we have to take advantage of those opportunities."

The Porters lost senior wide receiver/running back Nick Pleva to a shoulder injury midway through the second quarter and he did not return.

The last two seasons losses to Sandburg have kept Lockport out of the playoffs, including a 10-0 setback last year on September 26. 

"Just a missed opportunity," Kooi said. "We have to go back to the drawing board and learn from it, but we have to learn now."

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