After making a pair of game-winning field goals at the frosh/soph level a year ago, Billy Harding got his chance on the big stage Friday night.

The result was the same.

The sophomore left-footer connected on a career-high 39-yard attempt with seven seconds remaining, giving visiting Nazareth a 24-21 victory over IC Catholic Prep in the CCL/ESCC Green conference opener in Elmhurst.

“I just try to stay calm and stay with the guys around me,” said Harding, a club soccer player who started to learn how to kick a football in fourth grade. “I trust those guys to do their job and I’ve just got to do mine. I have to give so much credit to those guys up front and to our long-snapper Richie Skinkis and our holder Michael Westphal.

“I’ve been in that position before, just not at the varsity level. But I felt I was prepared for the moment and as I kicked it, I had the feeling it was going in. I started to get a little more nervous as it got closer but it was a very unique feeling when it went in. The thing I love most about this team, we trust each other.”

The Roadrunners (3-1, 1-0) covered 58 yards in 11 plays to get into field-goal territory after the Knights (3-1, 0-1) had tied the score on an 83-yard pass from Nate Lang to Will Schmidt with 4:43 left. Early in that final drive, Trenton Walker hauled in a key first-down catch on a third-and-11 play for Nazareth, one of six receptions the senior had for 140 yards.

“We always talk about staying in the moment,” Walker said. “Coach (Tim) Racki preaches that, keep your head on straight in situations like that. We have a lot of playmakers and we just trust each other.

“We had a couple of mental errors in the beginning but in the second half, we came out and put our best foot forward. Our O-line really stepped up for us. We practice that two-minute drill every day in practice and we were able to replicate that on the field.”

Trailing 13-0 at the outset, Nazareth answered back in the first half with a pair of touchdown passes from Jackson Failla to Jackson Flickinger and Jake Cestone. The Roadrunners then increased their lead to 21-13 on a seven-yard scoring run from Justin Watson early in the fourth quarter.

Failla, who didn’t start under center, finished 14 of 24 through the air for 211 yards. Charles Calhoun had 83 rushing yards on 16 carries, Watson finished with 63 yards on 12 attempts and Dylan Wellner ran for an additional 59 yards.

“We have shown resiliency all year long,” Racki said. “But you have to give credit to IC, they are so well-coached. They came out and hit us in the mouth and they didn’t stop. Those were two resilient teams; numbers-wise we outnumber them but they never quit. Both teams wanted it, that was just a great football game.

“I’m glad we came out with the win but in the long run, I think both teams will be better teams moving forward.”

ICCP opened the scoring on a 34-yard run by Foley Calcagno before Lang found Grant Bowen for an 87-yard strike. Lang completed 12-of-15 passes for 268 yards. Bowen and Schmidt also had interceptions.

“That was back-and-forth,” said ICCP coach Bill Krefft, “just two heavyweights going at it for four quarters. We respect the heck out of them and I think they respect the heck out of us. It was a chess match, a move then a countermove, just exactly what you want out of a high school football game. When you get a chance to play a team like that, you want to go after them. They are the standard for football in the area, a 3-time defending state champion with a chance to win four.

“They are a top-5 team in the state and one of the best teams we will see all year, if not the best. I’m very proud of our kids, they played well enough to win that game. I’m the one that has to do a few things better.”