Trailing by three in the final minutes, Lincoln-Way West had one thought.

“Stay calm.”

That’s what the Warriors did.

Senior running back Jahan Abubakar scored his second touchdown of the game with 11.9 seconds to play to cap an 11-play, 70-yard, game-winning drive as the Warriors won another classic battle 21-17 over host Lockport on Friday evening.

It was the second straight season the tteams played a down-to-the-wire game. Lincoln-Way West won 40-39 in double-overtime last year.

“It was a great team win,” Abubakar said of the 2025 edition. “At the end, I just had to punch it in behind all my linemen, and there’s no better feeling.

“Some people doubted us this week, and Coach said we’d face a lot of adversity. We just had to fight till the end, and it was great to see.”

Abubakar finished with 22 carries for 140 yards. He carried the ball on the final four plays of the drive, the first an 18-yard gain to make it 1st-and-goal at the 5. After runs of 3 and 1 yard, he ran in basically untouched for the winning score.

Lockport (1-1) saw a long drive stall at the Warriors 11, and a delay penalty moved the ball back to the 16. But senior Matt Blazewski banged through a 33-yard field goal, and the Porters led for the first time 17-14 with 4:18 to play.

Undaunted, Lincoln-Way West (2-0) put together the winning drive.

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Lincoln-Way West's Jahan Abubakar picks-up some yards during a varsity football game against Lockport at Lockport Township High School’s East Campus on Sept. 5, 2025. (Laurie Fanelli)

Senior quarterback Grant Tustin (9-18, 92 yards passing, 14 carries for 55 yards rushing) had numerous big plays on the drive. He ran for 15 yards on 2nd-and-15, and he completed a 14-yard pass to senior Chase Markowicz and an 18-yard one to Ethan Swanson.

“We just stayed calm, we were in control of the game,” Tustin said. “I’ve got to credit everyone – our defense, our offensive line, and Jahan, he’s a great player.”

Tustin threw an interception in the end zone as junior defensive back Josh Kies picked it off with a minute left in the third quarter. But he knew he’d have to refocus when needed again.

“That’s all Coach Eenst,” Tustin said of offensive coordinator Dave Ernst. “Even when I got worked up, he got me back in shape to win the football game.”

The Warriors’ opening drive reached the Lockport 6. But on 1st-and-goal they fumbled, and senior lineman Ethan Sydnor recovered for Lockport. After an exchange of punts, Lincoln-Way West took advantage of a short field, going 46 yards in five plays as Abubakar scored on a 3-yard run on the first play of the second quarter.

On the second play of the Porters’ ensuing drive, senior running back Chris Miller (15 carries for 153 yards) burst down the left side for an 86-yard TD. After there was no scoring in the first quarter, 14 points were scored in the first 29 seconds of the second quarter, tying the game at 7-7.

Lincoln-Way West came right back with a nine-play, 80-yard drive that was capped on a 13-yard touchdown run by Markowicz. But the Porters answered with a 78-yard, 15-play drive. Senior quarterback Brendan Mecher capped it with a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide-open senior tight end Mason Moore.

Mecher finished 15 of 23 for 146 yards and had 12 carries for 35 yards. But the Porters also had two turnovers – an interception by sophomore defensive back Nichalos Elstner and a fumble recovery by Warrior senior defensive back RJ Boyce.

“Absolutely, it was a great game, but it’s better when you win,” Lockport coach George Czart said. “We had to make more plays. West made plays when they had to. Their quarterback made throws in traffic down the stretch, and hats off to them.

“But for us, if we are going to put the ball on the ground, we are most likely going to lose. We have to get back to work and get better.”

With Southwest Valley Red play opening next week, the Warriors will look to get better as well.

“We preach to the whole group that the most important play is the next,” Lincoln-Way West coach Luke Lokanc said. “So at the end, we just had to stay calm. Grant Tustin has been in our program a long time, and he did a good job.

“There’s not much difference in our program and Lockport’s. George (Czart) and I have a relationship that goes back a long way, since I was young. This was just a tough game, and we knew it was a big one. I’m just super proud of the group, and it’s been a fun start to the season for our team so far.”