Kaneland senior Noah McKittrick lined up for a 32-yard field goal with all eyes in Howard Fellows Stadium on him, down a point with 1.7 seconds left.

“I was feeling confident,” McKittrick said. “I’ve made these kicks many times before in practice, pre-game, halftime, everything. I just tried to think of it like any other kick, just make it right down the middle.”

When his boot sailed through the uprights as time expired, Kaneland escaped with a 23-21 win over La Salle-Peru and McKittrick was mobbed by his teammates.

“It felt amazing,” said McKittrick, who was nearly late for the game after playing soccer for the Knights earlier in the day. “I’ve never felt better in my entire life. It was an insane moment.”

The Knights took over with 29.8 seconds left after L-P took the lead on a touchdown run and two-point conversion by quarterback Marion Persich.

Kaneland QB Jalen Carter was sacked on first down, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Cavaliers stopped the clock and gave the Knights a first down.

Carter hit Brady Brown for a 10-yard gain, then spiked the ball.

On second-and-10 from the L-P 45, Carter connected with Brown for a 30-yard gain to set up McKittrick’s game-winner.

“We had a post called on the outside, but Brady Brown changed it into a go route because he was playing inside shade,” Carter said. “I was able to recognize it and hit him to set us up in field goal position.”

The win was Kaneland’s sixth, locking up the Knights’ eighth consecutive playoff berth.

“It feels awesome,” McKittrick said. “We have a big run coming up ahead, I can feel it.”

For L-P (2-6), it was a devastating loss after the Cavaliers led most of the way and retook the lead with less than a minute left.

“The kids played their hearts out,” L-P coach JJ Raffelson said. “Obviously, we had one too many mistakes.

“(I told them) I was proud of them. Playing a top 10 team in the state (that close) was proof we can play with anybody. I’d go to battle any day with these kids. I told them not to hang their heads. We just have to clean up mistakes. We have to move on to the next day and be better.”

After a scoreless first quarter, L-P scored on the first play of the second when Persich broke free for a 54-yard TD and a 6-0 lead after the kick was missed.

The Cavs took that lead into halftime after stopping Kaneland twice inside the 10.

“We played fast and played hard,” Raffelson said. “That’s all I ask them to do. Coaching defense is react, fly around, make plays.”

Kaneland’s offense continued to struggle in the second half as the Knights lost a fumble on their first drive and went three-and-out on their second.

On Kaneland’s third drive, the Knights got to the L-P 2, but were again thwarted when Griffin May pressured Carter, who fumbled. Mason Morscheiser scooped it up and ran it back for a score and a 13-0 lead with 11:41 left.

While it seemed L-P had all the momentum, the Knights started to swing it their way.

Kaneland needed just three plays to score with Carter running it in from 7 yards out to cut the deficit to 13-7.

The Knights then executed an onside kick and scored again, this time on a 9-yard run by Carter, on a drive twice extended by fourth down conversions, including one on a pass interference.

“I just felt we were ready for it,” Kaneland coach Michael Thorgesen said. “I thought it was a good time. Our offense started getting some momentum. We wanted to keep them on the field.”

The Knights stopped L-P on fourth down - aided by a holding penalty on the Cavs’ first attempt - and Carter tossed a 43-yard TD to Evan Frieders on Kaneland’s first play for a 20-13 lead with 3 minutes left.

“We’re a good team,” Carter said. “We knew if we just played our ball, then everything would be fine. And that’s what we ended up doing. We just calmed down and played our ball.”

However, the Cavs managed to respond with a 35-yard run by Easton Moriarty helping set up Persich’s 6-yard score and go-ahead conversion run, which Raffelson called because he “wanted the game.”

“I just told them it’s on you guys. You got it. I believe in you” Raffelson said about the final drive. “They were out there executing the plays and were able to move the ball successfully.”

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Kaneland kicker Noah McKittrick reacts with teammates after kicking the winning field goal against L-P on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025 at Howard Fellows Stadium. (Scott Anderson)