By his own admission, Benet’s Nick Keyes hasn’t had the kind of season he was hoping for as a senior.
Things took a dramatic turn for the better Saturday afternoon in New Lenox. The 5-foot-8 wide receiver hauled in a short pass from quarterback Colin Gillespie and turned it into a 50-yard touchdown.
His first TD of the season midway through the fourth quarter helped the Redwings rally to a 14-10 win over Lincoln-Way Central and a berth in the Class 7A state semifinals for the second year in a row.
“It was just a normal stutter route,” Keyes said. “Colin and I have been (working on) it all week. I’m glad it finally worked out. This has been kind of an off year for me, but I caught the pass when it counted and that’s all that matters.”
Benet coach Pat New knew how much Keyes wanted to contribute.
“He’s been such a great player for us the last two years, and I know he’s been frustrated not getting to the end zone this year,” New said. “It was so great to see that. You’ve got to stick with your guys and they’ll come through for you.”
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And it couldn’t have come at a better time for Benet (9-3). After leading 7-0 at halftime, the Redwings fell behind in the third quarter.
Stalled by Benet’s defense most of the day, the Knights (10-2) found life when senior Matt Pollack made a diving 26-yard catch on a Sam Pipiras pass in the back of the end zone with 6:39 left in the third to tie the game.
On the next series, Lincoln-Way Central took advantage of a short punt and drove 25 yards to the Benet 3 before settling for a 20-yard field goal by Dimitri Sereleas and a 10-7 lead.
“Benet was packing the box to stop the run so we decided to open things up in the third,” said Pollack, who finished with 81 yards receiving. “That got us down the field. And our defense played great all night.”
The biggest challenge for Benet came on the ensuing kickoff when the Redwings fumbled and Lincoln-Way Central’s Devin Smith recovered at the 28.
The Knights moved all the way to the Benet 15, but a pass on fourth-and-8 missed its mark with 10:05 remaining.
Two series later, Keyes hauled in the winning catch. The Knights drove to the Benet 34 in the closing seconds, but failed to convert on fourth-and-11 with 38 seconds left.
“That’s a really good defensive team,” Lincoln-Way Central coach Jeremy Cordell said. “It’s tough to drive the field against a defense like that. We had our chance in the end. We just couldn’t convert.”
Phil English is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.