The M&M brothers came through when it mattered most for Lockport.

Chris Miller scored what proved to be the winning touchdown, and fellow senior Nick Moerman had a huge quarterback sack as the Porters prevailed 14-7 over Naperville Central in overtime before a large homecoming crowd Friday night at Lockport.

The victory moves Lockport (3-3, 2-2) back to .500 in the rugged Southwest Valley Blue. The loss all but eliminates the Redhawks (1-5, 1-3) from postseason play.

“This was a big game and a big win,” Miller said. “The defense did the job, and we fought hard.”

Both teams scored touchdowns in the final minute of the first half for the only scores in regulation.

In OT, Lockport got the ball first and moved to a fourth down at the 1. What to do?

“I said go for the score,” Miller said. “The team trusted me, and I trusted my offensive line. I knew I’d pick up 1 yard there,”

He did, bursting in behind the blocks of Jaylen Cox, Phillip Ponterio, Cole Callahan Sullivan, Marcello Thomas and Owen Wilczak for his second touchdown of the game. Miller finished with 25 carries for 163 yards.

Porters coach George Czart trusted Miller too ... but nearly decided to kick a field goal in overtime.

“I actually called for a field goal at first,” he said. “At first I thought we were a little further out, at the 2 or so. But our offensive guys told me we could score from the 1. I’m glad they did, and Chris Miller is awesome.”

So was the Porters defense as Naperville Central still had an opportunity to tie or win the game. But on third down from the 8, quarterback Jackson Loth was sacked by LB Moerman – who was everywhere and had an interception earlier in the game – for a 9-yard loss.

“It was a last-second change,” Moerman said of his rushing the quarterback. “I was supposed to drop in coverage, but we decided to have Colton Benaitis back in coverage instead, and I came in on the edge. I knew I had to get it done.”

He did, and an illegal substitution penalty moved the ball back to the 22. From there, it looked like the Redhawks had found a miracle as Loth – who was 18-for-27 for 168 yards and a touchdown – fired a pass into the end zone. The ball was deflected two or three times before senior wide receiver Vince Bern grabbed it just before it hit the ground for an apparent touchdown.

However, Naperville Central was flagged for having an illegal man downfield, nullifying the score. The next pass attempt, now from the 27, fell incomplete, and the Porters pranced off the field victorious in a happy homecoming.

“It was a big exhale,” Czart said. “But in the end, Benaitis was big. We like bringing him off the edge. He’s got speed, and he’s tough.”

The loss was a tough one for the Redhawks.

“We played so hard. We did everything but put the ball in the end zone,” Naperville Central coach Mike Ulreich said. “Our time together is still going, and we told the kids the reputation of our program is on the line. We have to put the ball in the end zone and finish strong.

“We have a bunch of young guys, and we have to get better every week.”

Lockport missed a pair of field goals in the first half. The first one, from 26 yards, was blocked by senior Paul Peradotti midway through the first quarter. The second one, a 47-yard attempt midway through the second, was about 5 yards short.

But the Porters finally scored when Miller plowed in from 15 yards out with 50.9 seconds left in the first half. Thanks to a 42-yard pass from Loth to junior Kyle Clark on third down, Naperville Central moved downfield and scored when Loth found Bern in the left corner of the end zone with 4.5 seconds left in the first half to tie it at 7-7.

There was a chance for the Redhawks in the final seconds of regulation. They faced a fourth-and-1 at the Lockport 32 and decided to attempt a 49-yard field goal. But it went wide left with 10.1 seconds to play, and the game went into overtime.

“That was not the cleanest game,” Moerman said. “We should have been up 7-0 at halftime, and Coach Czart let us have it. But it’s still a huge win.

“We’ve got some momentum now, and this was huge for us.”