BETHALTO — Civic Memorial pulled off a dramatic comeback Friday night, rallying past Quincy Notre Dame 28-24 to advance to the next round of the playoffs.
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The victory marked another memorable postseason meeting between the two teams. In 2021, CM defeated Quincy Notre Dame 20-17 in the Eagles' last home playoff victory. This time, Civic Memorial once again came out on top, earning a hard-fought win in front of its home crowd.
The Eagles got off to a fast start in the first quarter. With 6:55 remaining, quarterback Luke Clouser kept the ball and ran it in from 2 yards out for a touchdown, giving CM a 7-0 lead.
Civic Memorial's defense followed with a strong opening quarter, shutting down the Quincy Notre Dame offense and forcing a punt.
The Eagles then extended their lead with 3:36 remaining in the first quarter when Clouser connected with Grady Farrell for a 59-yard touchdown pass, putting CM ahead 14-0.
Quincy Notre Dame responded in the second quarter, finding its rhythm offensively and scoring twice to even the game before halftime.
With 7:08 remaining in the quarter, Abel Berhorst scored on a 2-yard run to put the Raiders on the board. Quincy Notre Dame then tied the game with 10 seconds left before halftime when Tripp Flesch scored on an 8-yard run, sending both teams into the break tied 14-14.
Both defenses controlled much of the third quarter until Quincy Notre Dame broke through with 5:40 remaining. Josh Brenner scored on a 13-yard run to give the Raiders their first lead of the night at 21-14.
The Raiders extended their advantage early in the fourth quarter, converting a 21-yard field goal with 9:49 remaining to take a 24-14 lead.
Despite trailing by 10 points, Civic Memorial refused to back down.
"It's a great night in Bethalto; it's been a while since we had a home playoff game, and the kids and coaches have worked extremely hard to get here. They showed that tonight," CM head football coach Nick Smith said.
The Eagles quickly cut into the deficit. With 9:27 remaining, Clouser connected with Farrell for an 80-yard touchdown pass, bringing CM within three points at 24-21.
"We needed to get the ball in Farrell's hands, and we did in the flats, and he took off, got us quick seven points," Smith said.
Quincy Notre Dame took possession looking to respond and began driving down the field. However, Civic Memorial's defense came up with a crucial play, forcing a fumble that the Eagles recovered to give their offense another opportunity.
Farrell said the touchdown helped him put an earlier mistake behind him and gave the Eagles the momentum they needed.
"I caught the ball and had outside blocking, and I saw open green and ran it for the touchdown. The drive before, I dropped a go ball and was in my head, but that touchdown I think turned the game around," Farrell said.
With the ball back, Civic Memorial marched down the field with an opportunity to complete the comeback.
With 1:25 remaining, Clouser found Lukus Zangori in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown, giving the Eagles a 28-24 lead.
Civic Memorial's late-game surge completed the comeback and sent the Eagles into the next round of the playoffs.
The Eagles will now face Centralia as they look to continue their postseason run.
