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Stevenson hangs on to top York
Thanks to the right arm of Joe Lucca, York nearly completed an improbable comeback on Friday night. But Stevenson defensive end Arthur Polk jumped into the fray in the final minute to help preserve a 31-28 victory.
The Patriots (8-2) cruised into the final minutes with a 31-14 lead. But Lucca fueled the comeback by firing his second and third touchdown passes to cut the deficit to 31-28.
With a final chance, Polk forced Lucca to throw an incomplete pass on 4th-and-2 from the York 45-yard line.
“That is what this game is all about. It’s one play,” Polk said. “The tackle I was playing against was good, but the key was staying outside. If the quarterback rolls out, Coach (Josh) Hjorth tells us to stay outside.”
When the buzzer sounded, all of the Patriots heaved a sigh of relief as the IHSA Class 8A opener final ended..
“I could not breathe,” said Stevenson defensive tackle Mikey Kuhn. “It was an exhausting win. I’m going to sleep well tonight.”
York (6-4) lost despite an amazing second half by Lucca. After tossing three interceptions in the first half, Lucca complete 19-of-35 after intermission for 219 yards and three touchdowns. For the game, he was 24 of 51 for 258 yards.
“Joe is a tough kid,” said Dukes coach Bill Lech. “He has one of the nastiest coaches in the state of Illinois, but he has very thick skin.
“He’s been knocked down and he keeps coming back ,” the coach added. “I’m very proud of him.”
The Stevenson offense was led by tailback Kevin Foley. He collected 150 yards rushing on 30 carries with one touchdown.
The other Stevenson touchdowns belonged to Jonathan Way (22-yard interception return), Troy Radtke (15-yard TD pass from Matt Micucci) and Cameron Green (18-yard touchdown pass from Micucci).
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