Homewood-Flossmoor endures late rally for win

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Friday, Nov. 5, 2010
11:53 PM
By Jim Owczarski
YourSeason.com

FLOSSMOORHomewood-Flossmoor seemingly had its second round game with Waubonsie Valley all sewn up as the fourth quarter was about to start, leading 21-0 and having done pretty much whatever it wanted on offense and defense for three quarters. But in a blink, the Warriors rallied with three touchdowns in the final 12 minutes to send the game into overtime, but the host Vikings pulled out the 34-28 victory in the second extra session when the Warriors Demetrius Gray was stopped at the six-inch line on fourth down by Vikings defensive back Sheldon Jones. Vikings QB Tim Williams won the game with a 10-yard TD run to start the second overtime.

I was real nervous, but I had to stay focused and stay relaxed and make sure my team was behind me, Williams said. I told them we were going to pull out this victory and we did.

The Vikings will now travel to Naperville North for the Class 8A quarterfinals after the Huskies dispatched top-seeded York.

Overtime was never a thought for the Vikings early on as they pounded the Warriors for 18 minutes and 19 seconds of the 24-minute first half, running 27 plays, gaining 17 first downs and piling up 202 yards of total offense in taking a 14-0 first half lead. It was a methodical performance led by running back Malik Norman, who carried the ball 19 times for 104 yards and a TD in the opening half. He finished with 230 yards and two TDs.

By keeping the Warriors offense on the sidelines, the Vikings defense came in fresh and aggressive, keeping the Warriors multi-faceted option attack grounded.

The Warriors ran just 12 offensive plays in the half, but Purdue-bound Vikings defensive tackle Michael Rouse spent more time making plays than any Waubonsie skill player. On those 12 plays, Rouse posted four tackles, a half sack and a forced fumble.

Nothing changed coming out of the break, as Rouse continued to disrupt everything the Warriors tried to do offensively and Nelson led the Vikings up and down the field, rushing for another 74 yards and a score to make it 21-0.

Then it became interesting. The Warriors finally cracked the scoreboard early in the fourth quarter when Devon Morgan plunged in from 1-yard out and defensive lineman Zac Steele immediately followed with an interception return for a score to make it 21-13. Kolzow then hit Gray for a 22-yard TD and Eric Josupait for a 2-point conversion in the final seconds to force overtime.

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