‘We had them right where we wanted them’: QND season ends as lead slips away in final minutes

QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame team needed just one play to wrap up a first-round victory in the Class 4A playoffs over Bethalto Civic Memorial.

The Eagles were facing third and 20 from the QND 33-yard line with less than two minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

The Raiders, however, couldn’t come up with the clincher.

Civic Memorial quarterback Bryer Arview hit Collin Elledge with an 18-yard pass on third down. On fourth and two, Arview found Luke Parmentier over the middle for a 16-yard touchdown with 1:11 remaining to give the Eagles a come-from-behind 20-17 victory on Friday night at Advance Physical Therapy Field.

The playoff victory was the first for the Eagles (7-3) since 2005. They will be the host team for next week’s second-round game against Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, a 49-13 winner over Columbia.

The loss ends Notre Dame’s season with a 6-4 record.

Civic Memorial’s final drive started at its own 45 yard line

“One more play here, one more stop there, we’re having a different conversation now,” QND coach Jack Cornell said. “We played a very complete game … probably the most complete game of the year from start to finish.

“We had them on the ropes. We had them bickering against each other. We had them starting to fight themselves from within. We had them right where we wanted them. We just didn’t get it done. I told these guys all week, and I reiterated at halftime, this game was going to come down to the last play. That’s exactly what happened.”

The Raiders appeared to have the game in control with 5:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. Civic Memorial drove to QND’s 23 yard line, but incompletions on third and fourth down gave the Raiders the ball.

QND only ran three plays on the ensuing possession, gaining nine yards. The Raiders punted on fourth and one, and Civic Memorial’s final drive started at its own 45 yard line with 3:30 remaining.

“We didn’t know if we were going to get the ball back,” Eagles coach Mike Parmentier said. “But we did a good enough job to where we forced them to punt. I’ve been there before, and I’m not going for it (on fourth down) either. Their defense played well. Other than one big play (an 83-yard touchdown catch by Parmentier), QND did a great job on us.”

Cornell thought Gilliland was ‘in good position’ on pass interference call

A pass interference call against QND cornerback Jack Gilliland, plus an 18-yard designed run by Arview, helped set up the winning scores.

“I thought (Gilliland) was in good position,” Cornell said of the pass interference call. “He was in a good spot to make a play on the ball, then the ref took the flag out of his pocket and gave (the Eagles) enough momentum to carry it across the line.”

The third-down pass to Elledge was his first catch of the game.

“(QND) was playing a five-man box. We were in empty (backfield), and their two safeties were pretty deep,” Mike Parmentier said. “We ran Collin down the middle, Logan (Turbyfill) on the hash and Luke up the sideline. Bryar read it, we got good protection, and their linebacker blitzed, so it couldn’t have been more open. That was huge.”

Luke Parmentier, who finished with eight catches for 185 yards, was remarkably open over the middle and went untouched into the end zone for the winning score.

“(QND was) bringing the house, and we ran basically a rub play with our best two receivers (Turbyfill and Luke Parmentier),” Nick Parmentier said. “Their guy got picked off a little bit. It was just wide open.”

Kasparie rushed for 104 yards on 19 carries

The Raiders had one last possession starting from their own 20, but they failed to make a first down.

The halftime score was 7-7, but the Raiders missed a chance to take a lead into halftime. A 61-yard kickoff return by Gilliland set the hosts up for a score to close the second quarter. However, on fourth and one from the Eagles’ 11, QND chose not to kick a field goal. Instead, Civic Memorial tackle Melvin Hodge dropped Raiders running back Ben Kasparie for a 4-yard loss.

The Raiders dominated play in the third quarter, using a double wing offense that allowed wings Nolan Obert and Dalton Miller to pave the way for Kasparie. A 10-play drive set up a 41-yard field goal by Ethan Beroiza. Another long drive led to Kasparie’s 1-yard touchdown plunge on the first play of the fourth quarter to put QND ahead 17-13. 
Kasparie finished with 104 yards on 19 carries.

The final game was especially difficult for Cornell because it was his last with a senior class who started as freshmen when he took over for Bill Connell four years ago.

“The day I was hired, these guys were in eighth grade,” Cornell said. “We’ve got to watch them grow up right in front of our eyes. We’ve watch them grow into the young men they are today. … They’re very mentally tough. They’re physically tough. They hang in there together. They fight all the way to the end. 

“Football is a brief moment in their life. If they can carry those habits and those attributes with them beyond high school and beyond football, they’re going to be successful.”