Wheaton North knocked off second-seeded Geneva 36-35 on a 17-yard touchdown pass with 7.8 seconds remaining Friday, Nov. 6, advancing to the Class 6A quarterfinals.
Sophomore quarterback Grant Neibch found receiver Johnny Clayton in the back of the end zone to cap an 80-yard drive in the final 90 seconds, Shaw Local reported. Clayton leaped for the catch and kept a foot in bounds as he hit the turf.
The win avenged a 42-14 loss to Geneva during the regular season.
"We had a chance to come over here and right a wrong," Wheaton North coach Joe Wardynski said, according to Shaw Local.
The seventh-seeded Falcons jumped on the Vikings early, building a 15-0 first-quarter lead. Mac Murray scored on a rushing touchdown, and Neibch connected with Drew Mazeska on a 47-yard pass play. Mazeska fumbled short of the goal line but recovered the ball in the end zone.
Neibch added an 18-yard touchdown pass to Ryne Shroff late in the first half. The Falcons converted the two-point attempt to take a 23-14 lead into the break.
Geneva, which entered the game 9-1 and undefeated in the DuKane Conference, punted twice and lost a fumble in the first half. The Vikings found their rhythm after halftime, scoring touchdowns on their first two drives of the second half. Quarterback Ben Peterson rushed for three touchdowns on the night, including a two-yard plunge that gave Geneva its first lead with 1:23 remaining.
The Falcons' defense made key stops throughout. Aidan Lucas broke up a third-down pass in the end zone on a drive that forced Geneva to attempt a field goal, which Wheaton North blocked. The defense also stopped Geneva's two-point conversion attempt.
Geneva senior Alex Abraham intercepted Neibch to set up Peterson's go-ahead score. But after a touchback, Neibch completed seven passes on the final drive. A pass-interference penalty pushed the Falcons deeper into Viking territory before the winning strike to Clayton.
Neibch finished with 309 yards on 23 completions. He was called up from the sophomore team ahead of the Falcons' Week 6 game after starting quarterback Burke Neibch was sidelined with a hand injury, according to Shaw Local's pre-playoff preview.
"I felt I was ready for it," Neibch said, according to Shaw Local.
Murray ran for 101 yards on 20 carries. Sophomore back Alex Holtze added 29 yards and a touchdown. The Falcons improved to 8-3.
Geneva's Bennett Konkey, an Illinois commit, led the Vikings with eight catches for 126 yards, a touchdown and a two-point conversion.
The Class 6A quarterfinals are scheduled for Nov. 13-14, according to Sports Illustrated's bracket tracker. Wheaton North's opponent had not been determined as of Saturday. Wheaton Warrenville South also advanced in Class 6A, beating Riverside-Brookfield 45-14.
