In the game of football, you seldom hear the term “walk-off” used, but on a snowy Saturday, Nov. 21 showdown, Riley Lees and the Libertyville varsity football team did just that.

In a blistering snowstorm, the Wildcats and the Bradley-Bourbonnais Boilermakers faced off for a chance to advance to the State Championship Game. In the first quarter, the Libertyville offense found ways to move the ball down the field with screen plays to receiver Henry Schmidt and a heavy dose of Lees rushes. At the end of the first quarter and a pair of Lees touchdown runs, LHS found itself up 14-0.

In the second quarter, both teams struggled to get in any sort of rhythm, but a 64-yard touchdown pass for Bradley-Bourbonnais cut the deficit to seven. After the halftime break, the game changed instantly, as the third quarter began with a Lees interception and a quick Boilermaker score. Just like that, the game was knotted up at 14 apiece with 9:13 left in the third.

After both teams failed to take the lead in the third quarter, only twelve minutes remained to decide who would advance to DeKalb. After a Lees fumble (which marked the third of four turnovers), the Boilermakers used that as momentum to take a 17-14 lead. Those three points marked the first time the Wildcats trailed a game all season (13 games).

With 3:27 left to go in the contest, Lees and the LHS offense came onto the field looking for a game-sealing score. After a 54-yard run to the Boilermakers’ 30-yard line, the Cats were in a great position to take the lead. That’s when things got crazy. A few plays later, Lees fumbled the ball at the 5-yard line and the Boilermakers recovered. As the Bourbonnais players sprinted off the field with exuberance, senior quarterback Riley Lees laid on the snow-covered field with his hands on his helmet; his fourth turnover of the night.

All the 23-seeded Boilermakers had to do was pick up a first down and let the clock hit zero to complete the upset and play for the state title. However, it’s easier said than done when your end zone is at your back during a blizzard. On the first play of the Bradley-Bourbonnais drive, the quarterback and running back could not complete the handoff and had to recover their own fumble in the end zone, causing a safety. The Boilermakers still led 17-16, but the Wildcat offense had one last shot with 2:30 to go.

After a loss of three on the first play of the drive, Lees was calm and collected and made vital throws to senior receivers Timmy Calamari and Cam Shaffer on back-to-back third downs. With under a minute to go and no timeouts remaining, the Cats found themselves inside the 10-yard line. With the clock running after three failed running attempts, the Cats’ offense quickly had to line up on fourth down to get the play off, with only three tics of the clock left. Riley Lees more than redeemed himself as he soared over the line of scrimmage and crossed the goal-line with an extension of his arms. After a short meeting by the officiating crew, the crowd’s delight was confirmed; touchdown Wildcats.

After a thrilling 22-17 victory, Libertyville will face off against the cream of the crop,  number-one seeded Glenbard West, for the 7A state championship. The game will be played in DeKalb, home of the Northern Illinois Huskies, on Saturday, Nov. 28 at 4:00pm and will be telecast on CSN.