What a season! The Lincoln Way West football season has come to a close with a final record of 7-4. Following a heart-breaking 25-21 round two loss to Batavia, all eyes will be focused on the off-season, and what to expect next season.
LWW fell to Batavia in the second round of the IHSA playoffs by a mere margin of four points, with the scoreboard reading 25-21. Overall the Warriors played an excellent game, especially considering their opponent was 9-1 coming into the match-up.
In the first quarter, well even the whole first half, LWW owned the game and the line of scrimmage. Quarterback Chase Hetfleisch threw three touchdowns in the first half, and had the Warriors up by a score of 21-0. Twice, Hetfleisch found wide receiver Chase Markowicz in the end-zone, first on a 45-yard bomb, and second on a 9-yard post. Deandre Coates recorded the last of Hetfleisch’s touchdowns by catching a 10-yard pass and scoring.
However, following the halftime break, Batavia found a spark, both on offense and defense. Over the course of the final two quarters they scored 25 unanswered points, and secured the comeback win, which advanced them to the third round of the playoffs.
Hetfleisch finished the night with a stellar performance from behind center, completing 12 of his 28 pass attempts for 164 yards, and threw the three touchdowns.
His go-to receiver on the night, Markowicz, finished the game with an impressive 94 yards receiving, and his two touchdowns. Markowicz also led the turnover stat in the game, as he is a switch player, playing defensive back and wide receiver. He picked the ball off twice on defense, which added to his stellar overall performance.
“I played well, but I could have done better, ya know…," stated Markowicz after the loss.
When asked about the overall performance of his players in the loss, Head Coach Luke Lokanc, was subtle with his response, as the disappointment of losing sank in.
“I'm just sorry to see these seniors leave," he said. "They have given so much to this program and wish we could have got this one. Everyone played hard, everyone did what they were asked of, ya know…”
Overall, it was a decent year for Coach Lokanc and the LWW football team, but now that the season has come to a close, the focus will be shifted to next season. Coach Lokanc believes staying together as a team is the key to a successful season yet to come.
“We got to keep building on, stay together, and trust the process," Lakanc said. "That's the plan for next year and this off-season.”