Sycamore completes late rally to beat Antioch

Sycamore trailed top-seeded Antioch by three points with 3:11 remaining on Saturday. The Spartans faced a 89-yard distance to the end zone. They had one timeout left. The offense relies on the run, but the ball went to sophomore quarterback Chaz Wright.

Wright led the drive into Antioch territory. He threw a 17-yard pass to Alexander Law. Running back Dylan Curtis added a 6-yard carry. Wright then found Jackson MacDonald for 16 yards. The Spartans faced a third-and-1 at the Antioch 42. Wright hit Law for 4 yards and spiked the ball to stop the clock.

With 1:45 left, Wright continued the advance. He connected with MacDonald for 13 yards. He then threw back-to-back 6-yard passes to Ben Anderson. A second spike stopped the clock with 39.2 seconds remaining. The Spartans stood at the Antioch 13.

Wright threw a 10-yard pass to MacDonald and spiked the ball at the 3-yard line. He then ran for the touchdown with 20 seconds left. The play secured the 32-28 win. Wright completed 9 of 12 passes for 83 yards on the drive. He finished with 138 passing yards and one touchdown.

Antioch had one final chance to tie the game. Ethan Patel threw a deep pass to Chance Verden. Ben Anderson cradled the ball, but it never hit the ground. Verden caught the ball and ran toward the end zone. Officials ruled that Anderson bumped the ball up. The play was stopped by an inadvertent whistle.

Antioch received one untimed snap. Dylan Curtis intercepted Patel to end the game. The Spartans trailed 28-17 late in the third quarter before the comeback. Wright credited his teammates for the final drive. He said his guys came around him and their hard work led to the score.

First-year coach Rob Stover praised Wright's composure. He said Wright is cool, calm, and collected. Stover noted that Wright made the plays when the team needed him. The Spartans advance to face No. 4 Wauconda in the Class 5A quarterfinal. Wauconda lost 21-0 to Antioch in Week 9.