Say this for Oak Lawn’s football team: the Spartans don’t stay down long.
One week after losing convincingly to crosstown rival Richards, Oak Lawn bounced back on Oct. 17 with a thrilling 37-36 victory at Eisenhower.
Backup fullback Jeff Le scored on a 1-yard run in the final minute to seal the victory for the Spartans (7-1, 4-1 South Suburban Red). Le finished the game with 48 yards on 13 carries.
“It was pretty intense at the end,” Oak Lawn coach Ryan Pattison said. “We got the ball down six points with eight minutes on the clock and our mindset was, let’s try to milk this clock out as long as possible.
“We run the true, old-school triple option which is what we pride ourselves on. We scored with 56 seconds left and then they got the ball back. They went down the field and they scored but there was no time left. There was a holding penalty that ended the game and we ended up winning by one.”
For Oak Lawn, its season will not end after a Week 9 matchup at Reavis. The Spartans, who last appeared in the state playoffs in 2009, are headed to the postseason.
“The kids are excited and the fun thing for them is that they know each week they’re making history,” Pattison said. “We’ve never been 6-0 and now we’ve tied the best record in program history at 7-1. I don’t think anyone’s been 7-1 here.
“Every week, they’re trying to do something. If they win next week, they’ll be the only 8-1 team in school history, which is awesome. Even with all of this, they aren’t getting big-headed. They believe in the process and they come to work. They keep doing what they need to do and put themselves in situations to win games.
“They’re mature beyond their years. We’re a young team, but they really believe in each other and the work they need to put in to be successful.”
Alex Soto carried nine times for 67 yards and two TDs while also throwing an 8-yard TD pass. Jayden Schlosser, who didn’t play in the second half due to an injury, finished with 12 carries for 45 yards and a TD.
Isaiah Perez chipped in four carries for 67 yards after replacing the injured Kamari Polk. Danny Strelow was 6-of-10 passing for 69 yards while Blake Hovanes ended up with three catches for 29 yards.
“It’s a testament to the kids and their resiliency,” Pattison said. “They’ve been through so much and I almost expect it out of these guys at this point. Nothing is going to faze them because you talk about coming into this season with the 0-17 (record over the last two years) and they have a willingness to buy in and fight anyways. To deal with all of the injuries we’ve had and to still come to work every day while we’re moving people around in new positions, they’ve embraced it and they believe in one another.
“After the loss to Richards, we knew that one loss wouldn’t faze this team. They came to work on Monday and were probably more hungry than they have been.”