The momentum swings were plentiful Friday night in a Class 4A second-round playoff game between Dixon and Coal City at A.C. Bowers Field.

The Dukes scored 21 straight points to rally from a two-touchdown deficit, but the Coalers answered with three big pass plays in the second half for a 49-42 victory.

“We kept our heart in and just kept on going,” Coal City quarterback Connor Henline said. “The defense made some plays and got some stops, and that got us the momentum back. We just kept fighting.”

The teams combined for 800 yards of offense, with Henline throwing for 307 yards and Dixon running back Landon Knigge rushing for 200.

But it was Henline’s three long touchdown passes in the second half that turned the tide back in the Coalers’ favor, as they scored on four of their first five possessions of the half after Dixon took a 28-21 lead with a TD on its first drive of the third quarter.

“Once we got one thing going, the defense had to commit to it, and then we were able to throw it over the top,” Coalers running back Logan Natyshok said. “Last week, we were really committed to the run and we knew they were going to be ready for it, so we just started throwing it over the top to get a good balance going.”

Natyshok ran for 135 yards and three TDs for Coal City (9-2), and Trace Wilson returned a fumble 45 yards for a score.

Both teams took advantage of turnovers and good field position. Dixon (9-2) turned a fumble and a blocked punt into touchdowns, and Coal City cashed in a pair of Dixon fumbles.

Trailing 21-7, Dixon got a 50-yard scoring sprint from Knigge, then Jake Whelan blocked a punt and Jagger Kemp ran in for his second touchdown of the game to tie it at 21 with 1:01 left in the first half.

The Dukes then drove 75 yards in nine plays to open the second half, with Kemp finding Jake Zepezauer on a 15-yard TD pass for a 28-21 lead four minutes into the third quarter.

“We were showing that we were a team, and the offense just had to get back into the swing of things. It was a little yin and yang with the defense, just finding the groove,” Knigge said. “We stopped the run and made it tough for them to pass, that was the key. That took hard work and dedication from both sides of the ball, especially the front lines.”

That’s when Henline started his aerial assault. The very next play, he hit Natyshok on a 64-yard scoring strike, but the missed PAT kick kept Dixon in the lead at 28-27. A 55-yard TD pass to Gaven Vestal six-and-a-half minutes later and the ensuing two-point conversion run put the Coalers up 35-28.

A short field after a punt led to another Natyshok TD run for a 42-28 lead, then Dixon answered with a pair of long runs by Knigge and a 38-yard pass from Kemp to Jackson Koehler to the Coal City 2-yard line to set up a Knigge TD run.

But Henline hit Natyshok on a swing pass that went for a 78-yard TD on third-and-10 to push the lead back to 14.

“Really, we were just looking for that safety; he was either taking our tight end or our back, and I was just looking him off and throwing it to the wide-open guy,” Henline said. “I love playing these types of games against good teams, especially when they’re this close. It really brings the team together and shows how much we mean to each other. It’s fantastic, I love it.”

Knigge’s 62-yard kickoff return set up Dixon at the Coal City 25, and Kemp scored seven plays later to make it 49-42.

Coal City closed it out, though, recovering an onside kick and then gaining a final first down to run out the clock.

“I think our D-line played outstanding tonight. We were doing a good job holding the line of scrimmage and letting our linebackers come downhill to make plays,” Natyshok said. “We just want to keep rolling, use that same balance and keep this going next week.”

The Coalers advance to the quarterfinals next weekend and will face the winner of Saturday’s game between Montini and Peoria Notre Dame.

The Dukes see another strong season end, but not without a final milestone: Knigge broke the school’s single-season rushing record with 2,283 yards, passing Arthur Cox’s total of 2,115 set in 2017.

“It means a lot, but I didn’t just do that by myself,” Knigge said. “I did that with my O-line, all my blockers, and I hope they get that credit for that. Our lines have been the best all year, and that’s why we have such good success.”