Homewood-Flossmoor quarterback Ron Johnson knows how to ignite a comeback.
Johnson led consecutive fourth-quarter scoring drives as No. 7 H-F escaped the upset bid of Lincoln-Way Central with a 21-17 SouthWest Suburban Blue victory Friday night in Flossmoor.
Trailing 17-7 and looking pedestrian on offense with just over six minutes to play, Johnson led a four-play, 76-yard drive capped by his 1-yard touchdown run.
After a three-and-out by the Knights, Johnson and Co. received the ball at their own 44 with 94 seconds to play. Two plays later, Johnson found wide receiver Patrick Sheehan streaking down the sideline for a 56-yard touchdown bomb.
“I saw it, I read it right and I hit my main man Patrick Sheehan running down the sideline,” Johnson said. “I thought I might have overthrown him, but he came down with it. It was great.”
Johnson, who misfired on his first six pass attempts, finished 11-of-21 for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Sheehan caught six balls for 89 yards for the Vikings (3-0, 1-0).
“Nobody on our sideline was going to back down. We were going to keep fighting until we saw zero-zero-zero on the scoreboard,” Johnson said.
Central (1-2, 0-1) was led by a feisty defense that pestered Johnson for much of the night. Grant Bartell and Joe Lyman each recorded two sacks.
“They were tough,” Johnson said. “We made some great adjustments at the half to pull it out.”
Johnson’s counterpart, Central quarterback Cale Hayes also had a strong showing. Hayes went 9-of-19 for 151 yards and a touchdown. His 69-yard pass to Kevin Ward gave Central a 7-0 lead.
With one final chance to score, Hayes missed on his last two pass attempts, prompting H-F to line up in the victory formation for the final play.
