Lake Park edges Neuqua in double OT

Updated: October 22, 2011 12:56AM

Each week Lake Park football players receive a word of the week from their coach Chris Roll. This week it was “believe” and it couldn’t have been more correct.

Lake Park let a 14-point lead with 9:15 remaining slip away only to come back and stun Neuqua Valley 33-30 in a double-overtime thriller Friday in Roselle. The Lancers, who were 1-4, have won four in a row and hope to be selected by the IHSA to go to the playoffs.

Both sides traded field goals in the first overtime session and Lake Park (5-4, 3-3 Upstate Eight Valley) had the ball first going into the second overtime period. After being stuffed on all three offensive plays, Eric Ryan connected on a 26-yard field goal to give the Lancers the game-winning score.

However, it took some convincing by Ryan in order to have him come out onto the field instead of going for it on fourth down.

“Both myself and the defensive coordinator said that we were going to go for it because we had the ball first. But when we asked Eric (Ryan) he said he wanted it and it convinced both of us,” Roll said. “We kept fighting throughout the entire game and the kids believed and the seniors can look back and say that they are building a winning attitude and tradition here.”

On the ensuing Neuqua possession it looked as if the Wildcats (5-4, 3-3) completed the improbable comeback when quarterback Nick Boudreau hooked up with Shane Langton in the back of the end zone for the score. However, the play was called back due to holding and the next play Boudreau was picked off by James Sowa in the end zone to finish the game. Sowa also blocked a field goal attempt earlier in the game and returned it for a touchdown.

“We have been through a lot this season and all we had to do was stay together and we would be fine,” Sowa said. “When the game went to overtime all of us just regrouped on the sideline and got to work in overtime.”

With 9:15 remaining in the game, Kevin Teglia caught his second touchdown pass, this time from 25 yards away as he outjumped a defender for the score.

Teglia finished with seven catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

Neuqua clawed back to within one score with 3:01 left as Boudreau hooked up with Langton for an 11-yard touchdown pass. After a failed onside kick, the defense held after surrendering only one first down and forced Lake Park to punt. On the kick attempt a couple of Wildcats broke through the line and blocked it, getting it at the Lake Park 37-yard line with just under a minute to play.

Three plays later, Boudreau threw a perfect ball to a diving Langton for the score, giving the Lancers new life and momentum into the overtime session.

“I didn’t really see the hold but what I do know is that we made too many mistakes in order to win the game,” Neuqua coach Bryan Wells said. “Now we sit at 5-4 hoping to make the playoffs.”

Neuqua played the game without leading rusher Joey Rhattigan due to a right calf injury sustained in the Bartlett loss last week. If Neuqua makes the playoffs it should have Rhattigan’s services. Danny Dudek had a solid game in his place, carrying the ball 35 times for 192 yards and one touchdown.

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