Bradley-Bourbonnais scores 26 points in second half to rally past Lockport

BRADLEY – With his team leading by 12 points at halftime, Lockport football coach George Czart felt anything but comfortable.

“I didn’t feel good,” Czart said. “I knew they’d get the ball to start the second half and we didn’t have an answer for them.”

Czart’s fears were founded as Bradley-Bourbonnais scored 26 second-half points and defeated the Porters 38-32 in an exciting SouthWest Suburban Conference crossover on Friday in Bradley.

Ethan Kohl found fellow senior Luke Allen on a 31-yard touchdown pass on the left side with just 14.9 seconds remaining for the game-winning score.

The Porters had tied it up when Drew Gallagher hit fellow senior Cole Holloway on a 3-yard touchdown pass. The same combo connects on the two-point conversion and the score was knotted at 32-32 with 1:02 remaining.

It was the second straight loss for Lockport (3-2).

The defending SWSC Red champion Boilermakers (4-1) showed that they are still a team to deal with.

“When we tied the game I felt really confident,” Gallagher said. “I knew we could get the touchdown. We have guys that are clutch and can do that.

“This is our third game in a row like this. We are pretty natural at it.”

They are as this is the third straight one that was decided in the final seconds, but the second straight loss. Gallagher finished 16 of 25 for 142 yards with two passing touchdowns and one running touchdown. He completed six straight passes to end the tying TD drive with 59 yards.

But the minute of time proved to be too much to give the Boilermakers.

Kohl finished 27 of 37 for 303 yards and had all three of his touchdown passes in the second half.

“We wanted it bad,” Kohl said. “We were down two touchdowns at halftime, but after last year (a 23-22 Lockport victory in Bradley) we really wanted to come back. I have confidence in our guys. Tyran Bender made a great catch and run (for a 20-yard gain) on the play before the touchdown.

“After scoring three points last week, to come out here and put up 38 against a good team like Lockport is great. I’m really proud of the guys and this is a big confidence booster.”

Lockport led 24-12 at halftime. But the Boilermakers got the ball to start the third quarter and went on a 16-play march. They converted a pair of fourth downs, including one on fourth-and-3 on their own 38. Kohl capped it with a 3-yard TD toss to Allen on fourth-and-goal.

But a key sequence happened on the next Porter possession. They had a fourth-and-1 at their own 34 and lined up like they were going to go for it. Instead, Gallagher dropped back and tried to do a pooch punt. But it was blocked and recovered at the Lockport 27.

Eight plays later, Kohl bounced off a tackle at the three and scored on a 7-yard TD run. The two-point conversion was missed but Bradley-Bourbonnais led 25-24.

“I guess I wasn’t backed up far enough,” Gallagher said of the punt being blocked. “I will have to look at the film but I just know that 80 percent of the time if a team blocks a punt, they win the game.”

With 7:53 to play, Kohl hit his cousin, sophomore fullback Calvin Kohl, with a 66-yard touchdown pass that made it 32-24. Still, the Porters battled back to tie it.

“Our kids never gave up and Drew had a nice game throwing the ball,” Czart said. “That’s a positive sign but it came down to the last minute and we didn’t have an answer.”

Lockport scored on its opening touchdown drive as Gallagher raced in from 6 yards out with 5:36 left in the first quarter. The Boilermakers answered as Bender returned the kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was botched, leaving the score at 7-6.

With 11:47 left in the second quarter, senior Nate Blazewski drilled a 45-yard field goal for a 10-6 Lockport lead.

Junior Kenvontae Sutton came back and scored from a yard out, but the extra point was missed off the left upright, leaving Bradley-Bourbonnais ahead 12-10 midway through the second quarter.

Following a 70-yard kickoff return by senior Elijah Beltran, Gallagher found senior Josh Ahrens on a 21-yard TD pass and the Porters led 17-10 with 4:21 left in the second quarter,

After the Porter defense forced a three-and-out, senior Jordan Kemp jolted through the line for a 55-yard touchdown run to make it 24-12 with 2:52 left in the first half.

At the end of the first half, it appeared that Boilermaker junior kicker Tyler Lamie had made a 29-yard field goal, but the officials conferred and ruled it no good to the left, leaving the margin at 12 at halftime.

The Porters went three straight possessions without a first down to open the second half.

“We have to cut down on our punts,” Gallagher said. We can’t be having three a game. We have to have that number at one and we have to play a whole game.”