It’s true: Lincoln-Way Central tops Sandburg 20-14

NEW LENOX – Statistics lied at Lashmet Field on Friday night. The scoreboard told the truth.

Lincoln-Way Central’s 20-14 victory over Sandburg was the real deal. The yardage totals – the Eagles outgunning the host Knights 281-185 – were the outliers.

The Knights controlled the game most of the way. Touchdowns from Anthony Noto and Braden Meyer were complemented by a pair of field goals by Andrew Schiller of 39 and 33 yards.

The latter gave Central (4-1) a 20-7 lead early in the final quarter. The 37-yard touchdown pass from Sandburg’s Anthony Shelton to Sean Weisberger made it close with 6:53 left, but the Knights, in part thanks to the last several of Noto’s 17 carries, were able to run out the clock.

“The players love him, the community loves him,” Knights coach Dave Woodburn said of Noto, who stands 5-foot-8 on the field but taller in the eyes of the crowd. “He’s like a little bowling ball.”

And one excited to be within a game of a playoff appearance. That hasn’t happened at Central since he was in fifth grade.

“To experience the playoffs would be so awesome,” Noto said.

Schiller’s educated toe might push them over the threshold. He’s 8-of-8 on field goals and 16-of-16 on conversions so far this season.

And he helped the Knights run out the clock when a Sandburg player bowled him over on a punt, extending the drive. At 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds, he’s thin but proved durable, popping right up. He too dreams of a playoff berth.

“It would be so exciting,” Schiller said.

As will next week’s showdown at Bolingbrook, with more riding on it for the Knights than any contest on the black field turf in many a year.

Sandburg fell to 3-2 in the SouthWest Suburban crossover contest.

The Knights took advantage of a Sandburg turnover to quell the Eagles’ first drive, converting the turnover into a touchdown on Noto’s 3-yard run to cap a 12-play drive. Sandburg, which had moved the ball effectively via the arm of Shelton (21-of-29, 213 yards) until a botched handoff created the turnover, never moved the ball consistently thereafter in the opening half.

Central made it 10-0 on Schiller’s 39-yard field goal 1:35 into the second quarter, taking advantage of a short field when the Eagles failed to make a first down at their 29-yard line.

Meyer’s 1-yard plunge to complete a 58-yard march made it 17-0 with 3:38 left in the first half. But Sandburg regrouped at the half and rallied behind a 13-play drive capped by Shelton’s 1-yard plunge and his pass to Weisberger to make a game of it.