When a close game comes down to crunch time, a coach’s best bet is to put the ball in the hands of the player he trusts the most.

Friday night for Johnsburg, that was Duke Mays.

After Woodstock had cut Johnsburg‘s 10-point lead to three with six minutes to play, Mays went into action.

The 5-10, 185-pound junior carried the ball on five of Johnsburg’s next six plays and helped whittle time off the clock to help the Skyhawks survive in a nail-biting playoff-like atmosphere in their 24-21 Kishwaukee River Conference victory at Larry Dale Field.

The victory vaults Johnsburg to that important sixth win of the season and ensures a playoff bid as it improved to 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the KRC. Woodstock fell to 5-3, 4-3, and can clinch an official postseason spot with a victory next week over rival Woodstock North.

Mays rushed 18 times for 64 yards and scored on runs of 2 and 1 yards, but 21 of those yards came in the fourth quarter. He also caught two passes for 15 yards, and recorded several quarterback pressures on the Streaks’ final drive.

“In the offseason, Carter (Block) and I and a bunch of other guys worked our tails off knowing it would pay off in games like this,” Mays said. “My mindset out there was just ‘Keep my head down and let’s go.’ It was a power mentality.”

Johnsburg coach Sam Lesniak said Mays, a three-year varsity starter, has continued to grow.

“He’s a three-year starter on varsity and he’s only a junior. He’s one of the most mentally-tough kids I’ve ever seen,” Johnsburg coach Sam Lesniak said of Mays. “And defensively, he was everywhere.”

Johnsburg appeared to be pulling away from the Blue Streaks after Block (15 of 19, 172 yards) sprinted 30 yards on a read-option keeper for a touchdown, using a key block from Jack Thompson on his way. That gave the Skyhawks a 24-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.

But Woodstock responded with a seven-play, 62-yard drive capped by Trace Panek’s 1-yard plunge that cut the lead to three.

“The resilience our kids showed was amazing,” Woodstock coach Mike Brasile said. “Johnsburg is a good team and they made just a couple more big plays than we did.”

Block completed his 15 passes to six different receivers, showing Johnsburg is a tough team to cover.

“The key thing about our skills guys is that they look to make plays when they don’t have the ball,” Block said. “We have not played our best game yet, but we got to believe we can get better. And that’s the key term, belief, especially as we head into the playoffs.”

The difference in the game turned out to be Drew Jesuit’s 33-yard field goal on the last play of the first half. That gave the Skyhawks a 17-7 halftime advantage.