The long right arm of Kendall McDowell came in handy for Sandburg.
The senior receiver made a game-winning, one-handed catch on fourth-and-goal for the Eagles in the closing seconds — and much to the delight of senior quarterback Sean Ruisz.
“I thought I missed him by a mile,” Ruisz said of McDowell. “Then I saw that white glove reach out and the ball sticking to his hand. There was a big amount of relief that ran through my body.”
McDowell’s lone catch of the night was a big one.
His 3-yard touchdown reception with 13 seconds left brought relief to Sandburg, which slipped past Lincoln-Way Central 21-17 in a SouthWest Suburban Conference nail-biter in Orland Park.
Ruisz threw for 255 yards and three TDs for the host Eagles (4-2, 1-2), who snapped a two-game losing streak. Lucas Matykiewicz added six catches for 89 yards and a TD, while Quinn Durkin came through with three catches for 80 yards and a TD in his return from injury.
Vinny Annel also caught six passes for 77 yards. McDowell. meanwhile, pointed out that he wanted to make up for two passes earlier in the game that didn’t connect with Ruisz.
“We called the play for a slant and all eyes were on Lucas and Quinn,” McDowell said. “We knew everybody was going to have all eyes on them.
“When Sean threw the ball, it was a little long and I went up there and tried to get it. It felt amazing after I dropped a few at the beginning of the game.”
Gavin Ciesiun threw for all 95 of his yards in the first half but attempted just three passes in the second half as Lincoln-Way Central (4-2, 2-1) had a four-game winning streak snapped.
Desmond Gill caught a TD pass and Aiden Noto ran for 113 yards and a TD on 17 carries.
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Both of the Knights’ losses have been on one-handed, last-second catches. Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin’s Demetrius Roberson scored with nine seconds left in a 27-23 decision on a play that went viral on the internet.
With Friday night’s game on the line, though, McDowell was the man for Sandburg.
“I knew from the get-go I was going to Kendall,” Ruisz said. “I know they were thinking we were going to Lucas or Quinn, our big dogs, but Kendall is a sneaky receiver with crazy skill.
“I trust him. I don’t care if he drops it five times in a game, the ball is going his way.”
With time running down, there was a school of thought that the Eagles might try for a game-tying field goal on fourth down. Sandburg coach Sheamus Murphy didn’t go to that school, however.
“We did not want to go into an overtime game with them because that would be advantage them,” Murphy said of the Knights. “They are built for overtime.”
So, Murphy went for it on the final play and McDowell came up golden.
“He’s been coming along,” Murphy said. “He’s developed a lot of confidence, and I’m so proud of him. Not only can he catch the football, but he can block and gives a lot of energy on the edge.”
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound McDowell, who also plays basketball and is on the track team, is getting noticed by smaller colleges in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin for football.
He hopes to keep playing because he developed a love for the sport when he was 6.
“Football brings the excitement out of me,” McDowell said. “I’m able to show another side of me.
“I can be a little shy, but I’m able to be myself out there on the field with these coaches and with these teammates.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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