In Hall-Putnam County’s 18-15 win over Sherrard on Friday, the Red Devils turned the ball over on downs with 2 minutes left, trailing by three points.

“When we lost it on fourth down there, I was kicking myself on the sidelines,” Hall offensive coordinator Mike Filippini said. “I was like, ‘Man, if we don’t get the ball back …’ The screen was there.”

Luckily for Filippini and the Red Devils, they got the ball back with 1:34 left.

After an incomplete pass on first down, Filippini called a screen pass he’d considered earlier in the game.

Senior running back Aiden Redcliff caught the pass from Dylan Glynn and took off for a 59-yard touchdown with 1:16 left to give Hall the 18-15 lead.

The Red Devils ran the same screen out of the same formation for a 48-yard TD in Week 3’s 18-6 win over Mendota.

“They were blitzing so much we wanted to call that screen,” Filippini said. “They didn’t blitz on the screen. Our line just did a heck of a job blocking.”

The Hall defense set up the offense’s heroics by forcing a three-and-out with less than 2 minutes left.

“That was a great call by Fil on that screen pass,” Hall defensive coordinator Adam Curran said. “Credit to the boys for being resilient throughout the game. We had our backs to the wall most of the game, and we held on.”

The Red Devils held Sherrard to just one offensive touchdown and shut out the Tigers in the second half.

“The first half, I thought we played pretty good defense,” Curran said. “We were having a hard time tackling 44. He was a load. We had one mishap where we just missed some tackles on [No.] 9, he made a nice couple moves and scored. We had a good talk at halftime, made some adjustments, and they came up big in the second half.”

Filippini credited the defense for giving the Red Devils a chance.

Sherrard led 15-12 at halftime and opened the third quarter with a nearly 10-minute drive down to the Hall 12-yard line, but the Red Devils forced a turnover on downs.

“The thing that won us the game was that defensive stand in the third quarter,” Filippini said. “If they score there, the game’s over. I’m telling you, we’re done. The defense got that stop. We didn’t do anything on offense (on the next drive), but it kept us in the game.

“I told the special teams, we gave up a touchdown (on a kick return in the first half), but when we needed to tackle that kid (on a return) at the end of the game, we did. All three phases win the game. That was great to see.”

PLAYOFF OUTLOOK

After pulling out an 18-15 win in the final minutes Friday, Redcliff said he thought the game was a must-win for Hall.

“Personally, I thought if we didn’t win this game, the season was done,” Redcliff said. “We had to win this game.”

The win was important for the Red Devils in the playoff picture as it moved them to 2-2 with five games left. Hall has to go 3-2 down the stretch to reach the five wins needed for playoff eligibility, although in recent years, occasionally a 4-5 team will get in.

Hall has a very winnable game this week at Kewanee (0-4) before the schedule gets more challenging with Princeton (2-2), Monmouth-Roseville (4-0), Riverdale (3-1) and Rockridge (4-0).

St. Bede and Princeton are also 2-2.

The Bruins need three more wins, but are entering a more difficult part of the schedule with Marquette (2-2), Dwight (2-2), Seneca (4-0), Peoria Notre Dame (2-2) and St. Teresa (1-3) left.

The Tigers seem to be in a good spot for a seventh straight playoff berth.

Princeton faces Monmouth-Roseville (4-0) this week before finishing with Hall (2-2), Mendota (0-4), Mercer County(1-3) and Erie-Prophetstown (2-2).

La Salle-Peru is 1-3 and faces an uphill battle needing to win four of its last five against a tough slate at Rochelle (2-2), Ottawa (2-2), at Sycamore (2-2), Kaneland (4-0) and O’Fallon (1-3). However, the Cavs could be in a strong position for a four-win berth with 23 playoff points already.

While not eliminated, the playoff hopes are bleak for Mendota, Bureau Valley and Fieldcrest, who are all 0-4.

CLOSING IN

Princeton senior Casey Etheridge is zeroing in on the all-time Bureau County rushing record.

With 475 yards rushing this year in three games played, Etheridge has totaled 4,282 yards, needing just 106 yards to top former Tiger Ronde Worrels. Worrels rushed for 4,387 yards for Princeton from 2017 through the 2021 COVID spring season.

Etheridge also stands No. 2 all-time in rushing touchdowns with 64, behind Worrels at 72.

ADDING A WRINKLE

Princeton added an extra wrinkle to their arsenal in Friday’s 63-12 win over Kewanee, utilizing the arm of senior quarterback Gavin Lanham. He completed 5-of-6 passes for 91 yards, including a 28-yard TD strike to Abram Longeville in the first quarter.

“We worked on our passing games tremendously the last two weeks. We wanted to make sure we’re just not a one-dimensional football team, and I thought Gavin threw the ball extremely well,” Princeton coach Ryan Pearson said.

“You had Ryan Jagers, Jack Oester, Abe Longville. We had so many guys that contributed to the passing game. That’s what we need moving forward to make sure we’re more balanced.”