Sports
Central Rallies, Wins First Conference Game by Defeating Oswego 14-13
Fourteen fourth-quarter points by Plainfield Central, missed PAT by Oswego East make difference.
The Wildcats and Oswego East Wolves were both looking for their first conference win and to get back above .500.
The Wildcats prevailed 14-13 thanks to a fourth quarter rally and a missed extra point by the Wolves in the third quarter.
In the end, it all comes down to the little things.
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In the first half, neither side could even get that much right. Neither side made a serious scoring threat for almost the entire first half. The Wolves (2-3, 0-3) got as close as the Wildcats’ 20, but couldn’t convert on fourth-and-six. The Wildcats (3-2, 1-2) got to the 10 with one second remaining in the first half, but junior Mike Fisher’s 27-yard kick was partially blocked by Wolves defenders.
The second half proved to be much more lively.
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On Oswego East’s first play in the third, quarterback Dakoda Skenandore made a brilliant fake handoff to RB Jake Aceret and ran down the sideline for an 88-yard TD to break the scoreless tie. Late in the third, Skenandore threw a 37-yard TD pass to his brother Chase to put the Wolves up 13-0. They missed the PAT, however.
The Wildcats’ offense, which had been listless to that point, went to work on the subsequent possession. Quarterback Tim Blake seemed to energize the offense with a 14-yard QB sneak near the very end of the third quarter.
“He (Blake) was able to read the defense a little bit better and we went into a hurry-up offense a little more,” Wildcats coach John Jackson said.
The Wildcats, led by running back Jorda Ellingwood, pushed their way deep into Wolves territory and finally got on the board with a 2-yard TD by junior Tyler Erdman early in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats went on the prowl midway through the fourth and it was Ellingwood again leading the charge on the ground. Blake did the rest with a one-yard QB sneak for a TD.
The Wolves tried to put together a last-minute drive, but they couldn’t convert. Dakoda’s deep pass to his brother Chase on fourth-and-long with 40 seconds left was into deep coverage and was, on what could have been pass interference, batted away by the secondary to seal the win.
The Wildcats play on Sept. 30. The Wolves host Minooka on Sept. 30 for their homecoming game.
