Shortly after receiving an IHSA Class 8A state quarterfinal plaque at midfield at Hinsdale Central, the Maine South players and coaches proclaimed that they are in search of a bigger trophy.

But 90 minutes earlier, a second-round win for the Hawks (10-1) almost looked unattainable. The host Red Devils jumped ahead by 19 and were driving for a chance to increase their lead late in the second quarter, before things began to change Saturday afternoon.

An interception and a 44-yard return by Santino Bernabei with 23.4 seconds left in the half prevented Hinsdale Central (7-4) from scoring points. It also led to a field goal by the Hawks who carried that momentum into the second half and eventually came away with an exciting 33-29 victory.

Indiana-bound quarterback Jameson Purcell was kept at bay by the Red Devils defense in the first half, but his 44-yard pass to Finn Haugh in the closing seconds of the half led to a 28-yard field goal by Kaden Hamdan that closed the gap to 22-6 at the break.

Purcell then caught fire in the second half, completing 12 of 15 passes over the final two quarters for 217 yards and a touchdown to Haugh, who hauled in 8 passes on the day for 149 yards. Purcell finished with 278 yards through the air and added a pair of short touchdown runs.

After the escape, Purcell credited the Red Devils with a strong effort.

“Credit to them. They played a helluva game. They came out and gave us a run for our money,” Purcell said. “We haven’t really been challenged like that much this year. We knew in the playoffs that anything can happen.

“They came out beautifully. The biggest thing our team did was we didn’t quit. We played every play like it was our last play. At halftime we just knew one thing: we were not going to stop playing Maine South football for 2025 today.”

The Hawks defense got a stop to start the second half and the offense promptly went 90 yards on six plays. Purcell had 28- and 34-yard passes to Haugh before Niko Kokosioulis capped the drive with a 2-yard run that closed the gap to 22-13.

Haugh’s 9-yard leaping grab in the end zone closed the gap to 22-20. The score was set up by Matthew Schlenhardt’s return of a Red Devils fumble on the previous play. It was one of four turnovers on the day that proved to be too costly for Hinsdale Central to overcome.

But the Red Devils still seemed to take a big step toward victory when they answered with a 74-yard touchdown drive that ended with Patrick Connor’s second touchdown run, an impressive 24-yard scamper that featured three broken tackles and gave the Red Devils a 29-20 lead.

But Purcell’s big second half led to two more scores and his team’s defense kept the lead from there, picking off their second and third passes of the game in the fourth quarter — including the second one for Bernabei.

A 36-yard pass to Logan Ide set Purcell up for a 3-yard run that made the score 29-26, and the game-winner was a 1-yard keeper with 5:35 left to play that put the visitors ahead 33-29. A great grab by Jake Davis for a 38-yard gain set the stage for that final score.

“Some of those passes the receivers made some great catches, but he put the ball on the money,” Hawks coach David Inserra said. “Jameson can play and we know that so we’ve got to rely on him. I don’t think any stage is too big for him. He really came through, not only the big passes but some underneath ones.”

Red Devils coach Brian Griffin had to tip his cap to Purcell and the Hawks offense, but also wanted to make sure everyone knows his players can hold their heads high after this game and this season.

“Obviously they’re a great football team, a great football program. I’m just so proud of our kids. I challenged them all week. There weren’t a lot of people in the paper industry who said we stood a chance,” Griffin said. “The kids answered the bell, but you can’t turn the ball over and give up big plays. At the end of the day if you do those things against a great team they catch you.

“That quarterback made some throws and those receivers made some catches. We were in good coverage, you can’t blame the kids for that. I’m incredibly proud of every kid. We made plays, a lot of plays, in a really friggin’ close game.”

Quarterback Riley Contreras passed for 175 yards and a touchdown and caught a touchdown from Beau Knapp on a reverse pass play that put his team up 22-3 I the second quarter.

“I had the belief in our team,” said Connors, the Red Devils running back who tallied three touchdowns in defeat. “I knew we could go out there and punch any team in the state in the mouth. We delivered that blow at the start. It’s unfortunate we couldn’t get it done today but I love my guys.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20251108/prep-football/maine-south-erases-19-point-deficit-stuns-hinsdale-central/