NASHVILLE, Ill. (WSIL) -- The Nashville Hornets are moving on to the IHSA Class 2A state championship final after a wild 37-35 come from behind victory against the Decatur-St. Theresa Bulldogs.
Nashville found themselves down 35-21 with about 8:26 to play in the fourth quarter until Connor Gladson took Kolten Gajewski's handoff 29 yards for the touchdown. The PAT attempt was good, making it 35-28 with 6:34 to play.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Hornets attempted and recovered an onside kick placing them near midfield. On 3rd & 8, Gajewski dropped a long pass to Isaac Turner for a 52-yard touchdown, making it 35-34.
Kicker Eduardo Garibay's PAT attempt was blocked by St. Theresa's Noah Hayes, preserving Decatur's lead.
On the kickoff after, the Hornets attempted a second onside kick and recovered it again but were unable to cash it in for points. But the momentum was on Nashville's side.
With less than two minutes to play, the Bulldogs turned to their star runningback Denim Cook on a 4th & 3 situation.
Cook lunged forward for extra yardage but officials ruled him just short of the first-down. That gave Nashville the ball with great field position.
With five seconds to play, Garibay, whose bocked PAT was the difference in the game to that point, came up for the field goal try and kicked it through the uprights to send the Hornets to Dekalb next week 37-35.
This year's quest to the state title game completes a simliar path the Hornets took in 2019 to reach that year's title game.
In both years, Nashville defeated Bismarck, Pana and Decatur-St. Theresa in consecutive weeks to reach the championship game. This will be Nashville's third ever trip to the state football championship final.
