Crystal Lake Central clinches playoff berth with OT win over Hampshire

CRYSTAL LAKE – On his 30th and final carry, Griffin Buehler saved his best for last.

The 5-foot-9, 170-pound senior took a handoff from quarterback George Dimopoulos, scraped off left tackle, and with a push-the-pile effort from his offensive linemen, scored the game-winning touchdown as Crystal Lake Central outlasted Hampshire 27-24 in a Fox Valley Conference overtime thriller Friday night at Metcalf Field.

The victory propels the Tigers (5-4, 5-4) into the playoffs, while the loss ends Hampshire’s season at 2-7, 2-7.

In OT, Central’s defense – as it had most of the night – rose to the occasion, sending the Whip-Purs backward on first down thanks to a tackle for loss by James Fier. After an incomplete pass and another loss of yardage, Hampshire got a 40-yard field goal from Charles Terriquez, whose kick hit the crossbar and bounced over.

Central then took over and gave the ball to Buehler for three yards followed by a two-yard gain by Dimopoulos before Buehler barged off left tackle for the winner.

“It was fight or flight. Everybody executed on all levels,” said Buehler, who finished with 162 yards on the ground. “Our seniors would’ve done anything to win this game. I just knew if I got the ball, there was no way I wasn’t getting in.”

Central, which played without starting quarterback Jason Penza (separated shoulder), rushed for 216 yards. Buehler was quick to credit his offensive line of Charles Weichman, Tommy McNeil, Nicholas Kozlowski, Nolan Nabielec and Bryan Nagel.

“This game was a microcosm of our season,” Central coach Dirk Stanger said. “We just fought so hard. The kids worked their butts off and it’s great to see them get this win. It feels really great, with all the ups and downs we’ve had, to make it in [to the playoffs].”

Dimopoulos (8-of-20 passing, 116 yards) threw touchdown passes of 5 yards to Casen Noennig and 21 yards to Thomas Hammond. Fier made one of the game’s outstanding plays when he blocked a punt and then scooped and scored to give CLC a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter.

But Hampshire responded on the very next play when Luke Lacke (8-of-18 passing, 144 yards) found Titan Lloyd Gonzalez for a 66-yard scoring strike. Earlier, running back Cole Klawikowski (29 carries, 89 yards) threw a 29-yard halfback option pass to Ari Fivelson. The Whip-Purs then tied the game midway through the third quarter on Klawikowski’s 3-yard run.

Central’s defense then stiffened in the extra session.

“We just focused on what we could do. It was tough being down our own quarterback, and we knew it would be a struggle,” said defensive end Ben Kolodziej, who had several tackles for loss and a key sack. “We just had the mentality of picking each other up and playing as one.”

Hampshire coach Shane Haak, who watched his team drop its second consecutive overtime contest, had nothing but praise for his team’s effort.

“We played once again with tremendous heart, and that’s a credit to our seniors,” Haak said. “The leadership they showed this year was incredible. It was truly an enjoyable group of players to work with.”