6A Football: Lemont Loses on 2-Point Conversion to Crete-Monee

Breaking It Down: Lemont looked like it was going to be able to hold on to a lead they built in the first half once again, but Crete-Monee rallied with less than four minutes in the fourth quarter.

After a 56-yard touchdown pass by Warriors' quarterback Marcus Terrell was negated on Crete-Monee's ninth penalty of the contest, the Warriors could have lost their composure.

But they didn't.

Forty-one yards, five plays and a successful two-point conversion run in by Terrell later, Crete-Monee had its first lead of the night, going up 28-27.

Lemont had a chance to make a comeback of its own, but the offense went three-and-out with about two minutes remaining in regulation and could not stop the Warriors from gaining a first down to get the ball back again.

Patch’s MVP: Lance Lenoir, Crete-Monee. The Warriors passed the ball on 10-of-12 of their first offensive plays, and continued to attack the Indian defense via the air for the majority of the contest. Lenoir, who caught nearly everything in his reach, was a big reason for this game plan. The Crete-Monee wide receiver finished with 120 yards on 13 catches.

Lemont Stat Pack: Christos Giatras ran for 103 yards on 28 carries. Zach Brosseau completed 9-of-16 passes for 116 yards. Drew Slee was target six times, but only caught two of those passes for 73 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown. Joe Hehir made all three of his extra point attempts, and connected on field goals of 25 and 30 yards. Rick Sniegowski ran for 65 yards on five attempts, including the first score of the game, a 51-yard burst up the middle of the field. Jake Lemming recovered a fumble on a muffed punt that led to Hehir's 30-yard field goal.

Crete Monee Stat Pack: Marcus Terrell completed 23-of-40 passes for 276 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown pass caught by LaQuan Treadwill. Nyles Morgan converted three sacks. DeShaun Smith ran for 59 yards on nine carries in the second half alone.

Quotable I: “It's an amazing feeling, because nobody else has done that,” Terrell said of this year's Crete-Monee football team being the first one to make it to the state finals. "It's something that we talked about as a team and a goal that we had for ourselves."

Quotable II: "I'm proud of them," Lemont football coach Eric Michaelsen said of the Indians. "They're part of Lemont football, and I hope they have some good memories that they can look back on down the road and see this season as a positive."

Quotable III: “To be honest, I was sick all morning, and didn't even know if I was going to be able to play," Lenoir said. "I came through it, because I just wanted to be able to put my team in a position to win."

Team Records: Lemont finishes 11-2. Crete Monee is 13-0.

What’s Next: While Lemont's season is over, Crete Monee will move on to face Cary-Grove next Saturday at 1 p.m. in the 6A IHSA state finals, after their 42-21 win over Lake Forest.

Other IHSA Playoff Football Semi-Final Scores: Lincoln-Way East 37, Benet 13; Mount Carmel 26, Nequa Valley 21; Glenbard North 27, Loyola 24; Montini 40, Joliet Catholic Academy 37. For more scores, check out IHSA ScoreZone.