Trailing Glenbard South by three points with under five minutes to go and set to kick the ball away, visiting Riverside-Brookfield needed a miracle Friday night in Glen Ellyn.

After a 30-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Braeden Novak to wideout Xavier Mrozik-DeJesus trimmed the Raiders’ lead to one possession at 17-14, John Bielobradek squibbed the ball near midfield.

As the pigskin reached the opposing kick return unit, junior Bryan Rimpila delivered a massive hit, jarring the ball free for Bielobradek to recover his own kick.

On the ensuing possession, Novak delivered a strike over the middle to Jayden Karas, who extended his arms and crossed the goal line for a Bulldogs’ touchdown. The score catapulted Riverside-Brookfield (6-0, 3-0) to a 21-17 lead and victory to remain unbeaten on the season.

DeJesus buried Karas in a hug as he came to the sideline, celebrating a come-from-behind victory fueled by brotherhood.

“This is my guy,” DeJesus said of Karas. “I’ve known this kid since kindergarten, man. I’ve had his back, he’s had mine. To see it on a football field, to see it in a sport, it’s something different.”

A jubilant Karas shared similar affection for his Bulldogs’ teammates, who showed incredible fight to secure a key Upstate Eight Conference East Division victory.

“I’m spending it with the people I absolutely love, and scoring that last touchdown to put us ahead felt absolutely great,” Karas said.

Despite a pair of high-flying offenses entering the game (each squad averaged over 40 points per contest in the last four weeks), defense dominated the first half. Novak found DeJesus for a 40-yard score with under a minute to go in the half for the only score of the opening two quarters.

The home team immediately snatched momentum to begin the second half, with a pair of rushing touchdowns from sophomore tailback Elijah Donahue giving the Raiders a 14-7 lead on homecoming night at Glenbard South.

Donahue did it all for the Raiders, battling persistent cramp issues to carry the ball 24 times for 113 yards and two scores. He added an interception from his cornerback spot just two possessions later.

With Glenbard South threatening to push its advantage to 21-7 early in the fourth, senior safety Warren Mason came up huge for the Bulldogs.

On second down, Mason blew up the ball carrier for a loss of one. The next snap, Mason anticipated the pass perfectly, delivering a blow that popped the ball free to bring up fourth down.

“I just saw it,” Mason said. “It was slow motion. On the first one, my guy went and blocked which means I had the edge. I had good form. I hit him. It was perfect.”

Mason, who encouraged his teammates to the best of his ability each time he came off the field, provided an invaluable amount of leadership and energy for his squad.

The Raiders (4-2, 3-1) will look to a home bout next week against Ridgewood to right the ship following their second loss of the season.

“We made too many mistakes,” Glenbard South coach Ryan Crissey said. “The nice thing was we were able to establish a successful run game against a really stout defense. We did some things really well tonight that we haven’t done well in the past with some pass defense stuff, but in the end we’ve got to take care of the football.”